


Game Over

by florelunae



Series: Level Up [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Attacks, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Depression, Domestic, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Orphan Keith (Voltron), Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Child Abuse, Past Drug Use, Past Relationship(s), Separation Anxiety, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2019-09-23 05:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17074169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/florelunae/pseuds/florelunae
Summary: It's been 9 months since Anna was locked away and 7 months since Keith and Lance moved in together. It's now May and their senior year is coming to a close. This time of life brings its own conflicts and drama. But it gets even worse when dark secrets are brought to the surface by an unknown enemy. Relationships are strained more than ever before as the 6 teens realize they don't know each other as well as they once believed.The fic is also being published on wattpad (same username). Level Up thrived there so I feel that even though I hate wattpad, Game Over she be on their too.





	1. extra bananas? extra bananas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the sequel to Level Up, read that first or you'll be highly confused.
> 
> I'm sinking shallura and bringing in Adam because that's what Shiro deserves. Bringing in Romelle for Allura, let's go lesbians let's go. Also sinking hidge and bringing in Shay because that's what Hunk deserves. I don't even really ship hidge, it was just highly requested. Pidge was just meant to be a cute crush for Hunk before he met Shay. But ya'll sunk your claws into it so I kept it. Pidge/Science is best ship.

"Move it! Move!!!" A blonde boy shouted as he ran through the halls of the school, pushing everyone that got in his way.

"Fuck you, Noah!" "Ugh, you're such a scum bag!" "Bro, what the fuck!" "Slow down!" Many complaints were shouted at him but he ignored all of them.

He eventually made it to his destination, the school gymnasium, "McClain!!" He shouted as he ran in, seeing the mentioned Cuban boy sitting on the bleachers with his boyfriend and one of their best friends.

Lance turned away from the conversation he was having, "There you are, Noah! Did you bring it?" He sat up quickly, walking to meet the boy in the middle of the room.

Noah nodded, "Yeah, it's right here." He started digging through his bag, "Somewhere in here..."

Lance rolled his eyes, "Take your time."

Noah smiled as he pulled a folder out of his bag, "Here! Thanks again, I got an A!" He handed Lance the folder, "I was afraid you'd leave before I caught up to you, I knew you'd need your notes for the project."

Lance shrugged with a smile, taking the folder, "Nope, I was just waiting here with Pidge and Keith. None of us take the bus."

Noah nodded, "Thanks again, you just saved my ass. Mrs Bennett was about to kick me out of the class. I didn't even know they could do that."

"Well, Latin is an advanced class. You have to keep up advanced work and advanced grades if you want to stay in the class. I'm only in it because I already speak Spanish." Lance giggled a bit, "Maybe you should be in Spanish instead though."

"No, I can handle it!" Noah shook his head, "I just need to remember to do my homework. Speaking of Spanish. Are you celebrating Cinco de Mayo? Isn't that a Spanish holiday?"

Lance laughed, "No. I'm Cuban, Noah. That's a Mexican holiday, Mexican Independence Day. Just like America's Fourth of July."

Noah seemed a bit confused, "Hm.. Alright. I guess that makes sense. Whatever, I'll see you on Monday."

Lance laughed again, "See you." He waved as Noah walked away before walking back to the bleachers.

"Who was that?" Keith asked as Lance sat back down, his eyes watching the blonde boy leave the room.

"Noah Jordan." Lance rolled his eyes, "He's in my Latin class. Sweet as can be, but not the brightest kid. How he ended up in AP Latin is a mystery to me."

Pidge chuckled, looking up from her laptop, "Yeah, he should stick to the sports. He's in my English class, even though he's a Senior and it's a Junior class."

"He's in my English class too, he's taking both levels." Lance sighed, "He failed last year so he's taking extra classes so he can still graduate on time."

Keith nodded, "Oh, that's cool... Is he your friend?"

Lance shook his head, "Hardly. But I do tutor him sometimes." He looked at Keith, "Why do you ask."

Pidge snickered, "Because he's jealous that you were all giggly talking to a hot guy."

Keith blushed dark red, "Am not!" He crossed his arms, "Lance can talk to whoever he wants!"

Lance giggled and leaned over to kiss Keith's cheek, "I'm just tutoring him, Keith. I already have an amazing, hot guy. I don't need him. Besides, mine is smart." He kissed Keith on the lips this time.

Pidge fake gagged, "Gross, get a room." She shut her laptop.

Keith laughed, looking over at her, "Don't you have AV club?"

She looked at her phone to check the time, "Shit, I'm late. See you losers later? Allura's?"

Keith shook his head, "I have work tonight, late shift."

Lance sighed, "I'll be there though. I'm working afternoon and Hunk is going to pick me up there before he stops to get you."

Pidge nodded, packing her bag, "Alright, see you then." She put her bag over her shoulder before getting off the bleachers and running towards the science and math wing of the school.

Lance checked his phone, "We should go now. I don't want to be late for work again."

Keith nodded, grabbing his bag and standing. Lance did the same before they left the gym together. They went out the back exit, leading to the back of the parking lot. That's where Keith parked his motorcycle.

Keith put their bags in the back basket, taking the helmets out of it. He put his own on before putting Lance's on for him. He always strapped it for him or at least checked it after Lance did it himself. He wanted to make sure it was secure. It was just another small way he protected him as much as he could. Lance stopped fighting it months ago.

They both got on and Keith drove out of the parking lot, heading towards Main Street. Soon enough, they reached BRÜ Artisan Coffee Works. Lance was a barista there. Keith stopped in front, letting Lance get off.

"Do you want me to take your bag home or do you need it?" Keith asked as Lance took his helmet off.

"I don't need it. Just leave it in the living room so I can do my homework if I get home before you." He gave Keith his helmet.

Keith nodded, putting the helmet away, "Alright, have fun tonight."

Lance nodded too, giving Keith a quick kiss, "I'll see you for dinner."

"I'll bring some food home from work so don't make anything. I love you." Keith smiled at him.

"I love you too." Lance smiled as he watched Keith ride away, then he turned to go inside.

Keith drove back to their apartment, dropping their bags off and grabbing a few things, then he was back on the road again.

He drove to Shiro's house, his best friend. Everyone in their group had one person they were closer to than the rest, one friend they always went to. Having a boyfriend or girlfriend is great, but everyone needs that friend that you have a special bond with. A bond as strong as the one you'd have with a boyfriend or girlfriend, but  _different_.

Hunk and Allura are always there for each other, they'd drop everything for the other. Lance and Pidge can basically read each other's minds at this point (Keith finds it quite frightening at times). Keith and Shiro are the brothers neither of them ever had. Shiro is an only child with a single father and Keith is an orphan who never got adopted. They found family in each other and their friends. And that's why Keith made it a priority to make it over there after dropping Lance off at work.

Keith checked his phone while at a stop light, seeing his new text.

 **shirogone:**  still coming over?

Keith quickly typed a reply before pocketing his phone again and focusing on the light.

**_kmskeith:_ ** _yea omw_

The light turned green and Keith continued on his way to Shiro's. He drove to the condos near where Pidge lived, it was just around the block from there. He parked in the parking lot and went to Shiro's condo.

Shiro was sat on the porch, looking up at the sky. Keith walked over with a sigh, sitting down next to him, "You okay, dude?"

Shiro shrugged, still looking up, "Dad is flipping his shit. And dealing with Allura isn't helping anything..."

Keith looked up too, "She's really moving all the way to Massachusetts?"

"Yup." Shiro sighed, "She got her acceptance letter from Harvard yesterday. I don't blame her for leaving, she got accepted to the best business school in the country. While I'll be lucky if I get into community college..."

Keith looked over at him, "You'll never know until you try. Have you even applied anywhere?"

Shiro looked at him, "Have you?"

Keith frowned and looked back up, "You got me there... I don't know if I'm even going to. Me and Lance have been talking about it a lot... We're moving by Trinity University no matter what, it's his top pick. He got accepted everywhere he applied, he's smart like that."

Shiro looked up again, "That's where Matt goes. There's a lot of job opportunities around there, he had no issue finding a part time gig."

"If you had to choose one thing to do with your life, what would it be? Think reasonably but don't be too small with it." Keith frowned, "That's what Lance asked me, but I can't think of anything."

Shiro thought for a minute, "I can... I think being a cop would be pretty cool. I volunteer at the police department every Saturday already, I get to comfort kids who were caught up in crimes or accidents. I like being able to help. I could help stop things like what happened to us in August... Well, mostly to Lance. I was barely affected."

Keith sighed, "He still gets nightmares every once in a while..." He paused before speaking again, "Do it. Become a cop. You don't need a law degree, it's optional. You just need to go to the police academy. Your dad will calm down once he knows you have a plan. And you'll feel better too."

"I'll give it some thought." Shiro smiled for the first time since Keith showed up, but it quickly faded, "That doesn't help the situation with Allura any..."

Keith shrugged, "Well you only have three options."

"And what would those be?" Shiro looked over at him.

Keith kept looking up, "1, you can go to Massachusetts with her. 2, you can try long distance with a girl who lives halfway across the country. 3, you can break up with her."

Shiro looked back up, "Yeah, I think I already knew that... But I can't move. I can't leave Dad, I'm all he has. I can't move that far away. And that also means leaving the only brother I've ever had." He looked at Keith again, his smile returned.

Keith looked at him, smiling as well, "Why don't we head to the police station together right now. We can figure out how to enroll you in the police academy. You don't have to enroll today, but this way you'll know."

Shiro shook his head before standing up, "I'm going to talk to dad about it before I go. I know hearing a plan will calm him down a lot. He's just freaking out because he wants me to have a good future."

Keith stood too, Shiro helping him up, "He's a good dad. I'm sure he'll like this plan."

Shiro got a text and pulled out his phone, "Fuck..."

**_ayellura:_ ** _can you come over?_

**_ayellura:_ ** _we need to talk_

**_ayellura:_ ** _it's urgent_

**shirogone:**  be there soon

Keith looked over at Shiro's phone as he replied, having heard the multiple notifications, "Looks like she may have made a decision of her own..."

Shiro sighed and put his phone away, "I should head over then... Keep your phone on, I'll text you later."

Keith nodded, "I have work tonight but I'll check it on my breaks if I don't hear from you before."

"Alright... Have fun at work man." Shiro went back inside to grab something.

"There's no such thing," Keith said before the door closed. Then he went back to his motorcycle, getting on and driving away.

**︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵**

Lance finished making a medium mixed-berry smoothie to-go before going to the back of the coffee shop to take his dark brown apron off. The shop sold a variety of food and drink, not just coffee. He put his apron in his small locker, taking out his (actually, it's Keith's) black sweater. He put it on happily, it fit him perfectly. Keith liked his hoodies and sweaters a bit baggy so they were the perfect size for Lance to steal.

"I'm clocking out, Vi!" He said as he closed his locker and went to clock out.

His coworker, Violet, peeked out from the front of the shop, "Okay, have a nice weekend! Tell Keith I said hey!"

"I will." He smiled as he walked past the counter, grabbing the smoothie that he'd just made himself, then left the shop. He went out and sat on the curb, drinking his smoothie as he checked his phone. He had a few new texts.

_*this isn't a group chat, these are individual texts that I've grouped together for easy reading :)*_

**_kmskeith:_ ** _I was asked to cover for Lacey today so I'm going in early. don't worry though. I'll still be home at the same time._

**_ayellura:_ ** _sorry but I can't have you all over tonight >.< sorry. I already told the others_

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _idk if you saw but Allura can't have us over. hang at my place instead?_

**_hunkinthetrunk:_ ** _just saw Allura canceled. I'll still get you from work though._

Lance smiled at his friends' texts before opening a group chat between Pidge, Hunk, and himself.

 **leggylance:**  just got out of work. I'm still down to hang if Pidge is down to have us over

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _I'm always down._

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _btw hunk is on his way to get you. I'm on the phone with him now_

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _he says he's down. see you losers later._

Lance closed the chat after reading Pidge's quick responses. He then texted Keith back.

 **leggylance:**  okay, don't work too hard. btw Allura cancelled so I'm going to Pidge's with Hunk instead. Love you!!! ♡♡♡

He then put his phone away and went back into the shop. Violet looked over at him from the table she was cleaning, "Back so soon?"

Lance smiled, "I have a few more minutes before my friend gets here. I'm going to get him and my other friend drinks. And get another one for myself, I downed that." He threw his cup away with a small laugh before going back behind the counter to make three new drinks.

Violet nodded, "You said friend, so I guess that means Keith is working?"

Lance nodded, "Yup. You haven't met Hunk or Pidge. That's who I'm hanging with tonight." Violet was 26, so she didn't know his high school friends. She only knew Keith because he was almost always Lance's ride.

Violet walked back behind the counter, "Need any help with those drinks?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. Can you make an iced mocha latte? Double expresso." He asked as he started working on a strawberry-banana smoothie for Hunk.

"Expresso at this time of day?" Violet asked as she walked to the coffee maker.

Lance shrugged, "Pidge is always caffeinated. I don't think she's slept in two months." He laughed a bit.

Violet laughed too, "She's getting a head start for college. I don't think I've slept in seven years."

"But you get to become a surgeon, I think all the extra schooling is worth it." Lance smiled, finishing Hunk's smoothie and starting his own.

Violet looked at him, "What are you going for? I never asked."

Lance shrugged, "I'm pretty sure I want to go for psychology, learn more about the human brain and behaviors. I haven't officially chosen yet, I put undecided on my application forms."

"You were accepted though, right?" She asked as she finished Pidge's iced latte and put it in a drink carrier with Hunk's smoothie.

Lance nodded, "Yeah, everywhere I applied I got accepted. I chose Trinity University." He finished his smoothie and put it in the carrier.

"That's a good one, I did my first four years there." Violet said as she grabbed three straws and set them in the middle of the carrier, "Good luck."

"Thanks. I'll see you next week." He took the carrier and left with a smile. Hunk was pulling up outside as Lance walked out, "Perfect timing." He walked to the car and got in, "I got your favorite." He held up the drinks for Hunk to see.

Hunk smiled excitedly, "You're the best!" He took the smoothie when Lance handed it to him and took a drink, "You make it so much better than anyone else."

Lance laughed and put the other cups in the cup holders before putting on his seat belt, "Extra banana, just the way you like it. And double expresso for Pidge, just the way she likes it."

Hunk laughed and started driving, "When did I tell you I like it with extra banana?"

"You didn't," Lance shrugged, "But you did tell me strawberry-banana is your favorite. And you ordered your smoothie with extra banana while we were at the mall back in March."

"That was two months ago!" Hunk laughed more, "You remember the smallest things, it's strange."

"It's not strange. It's observant." Lance took a sip of his drink, "I keep a mental note of things like that on purpose, so I can recall it at times like this."

Hunk glanced at him with a smile, "How many other things have you  _'observed'_?"

Lance thought for a moment, "Well, Keith really likes strawberry flavors, but hates actual strawberries or anything with real strawberries in it. I think the seeds bother him.. And you say your favorite color is yellow but you always lean towards orange when you have a choice. You own barely yellow clothes but you have a lot of orange. But orange is close to yellow so maybe that's why you chose it. Maybe you're trying not to be flashy.. Shiro and Allura have been pretty distant lately, I think it's probably college stuff. So I haven't brought up anything college related around the two of them.. Pidge has had twice as many AV club meetings as usual, so I think she's working on something special and hasn't told us yet.. You never bring up college around her so I think that has been hard on you guys too.. Keith has been working extra hours a lot so I think he's worried about our future and is afraid he won't make enough money for us, even though I work too.. And Mama hasn't called as often as she used to so I think she's finally become accustomed to me moving out, it happened with Danny too. She called him every day at first because she missed him so much. But the more she accepted it, the less she called. So less calls is a good sign."

Hunk listened with his jaw dropped, speechless by the time Lance finished. It was silent for a moment before Hunk finally found words, "Dude..." Well, he found  _one_  word.

Lance laughed a bit, "It's important stuff to remember!"

"Remembering my color choices is important?" Hunk raised an eyebrow.

Lance nodded, "Very important. Crucial. Detrimental. Of the  _highest_  priority."

The two kept straight faces for all of five seconds before bursting out laughing, unable to take themselves seriously.

Hunk pulled on to Pidge's street, still laughing, "This is why I love you, goddamn."

Lance chuckled a bit, glancing down at the house he grew up in, where his family still lived, "Let's go inside." Part of him wanted to visit his family first, but an even bigger part of himself decided it wasn't a good idea. They'd all ask questions about his mental state. If he's still seeing a therapist, if he's taking his medications as prescribed, if his scars have gone away. (Yes, not exactly, and no.) He didn't want to deal with that today.

He and Hunk went to Pidge's, drinks in hand. Hunk didn't even get a chance to knock, Pidge opened it before he raised his hand all the way.

"Took you nerds long enough!" She ushered them inside, "I checked your locations to make sure you hadn't died." She had a nervous habit of constantly checking their locations, it calmed her to know where they were. No one minded it.

"We're alive, and I have coffee." Lance smiled as he handed her the cup.

She took it with a smile, "Come on, my parents aren't home so we can chill in the living room." She walked to the living room happily, her boyfriend and best friend following behind.


	2. pranks or storms?

"Stop being an asshole!"

"Stop being a gremlin! -OW!!"

These were the sounds Hunk heard from the Holt family kitchen. Sighing, he reentered the living room to see both Pidge and Lance on the floor wrestling each other.

"I left for five minutes, what the hell." Hunk said as he grabbed Pidge and pulled her off of Lance, she was winning this little fight.

She kicked her legs, "Hey!!! Put me down!"

Lance sat up and quickly ran out of the room, "Victory!!"

"What?!" She wormed her way out of Hunk's arms and ran after Lance, but he had locked himself in the bathroom, "Lance, you jerk! Give me my phone!"

Lance giggled from inside, "Let's see who you've been texting."

She tried to get the key from on top of the door frame but couldn't reach it, "Ugh! I swear I'm going to kill you!!"

Hunk slowly walked into the hall, not wanting to get too involved but sort of wanting to see how it all played out. It was entertaining to watch them 'fight' until you were put in the middle of it all.

Lance laughed, "Wow, you two are totally cheesy. Tinker Bell?"

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, whatever  _Lancey Lance._ " She teased, using Keith's most frequent nickname for him.

He just kept scrolling through her texts with a laugh, "Ooo, new text from Matt. Let's see what he wants." It went silent for a moment, not even a snicker came from his mouth.

She instantly got worried, "Lance? What is it? What did Matt send me?"

"Shit.." He mumbled as he opened the door, "He said he's freaking out and needs to talk to you right away." He gave her the phone back.

She snatched it from him and read the text with her own eyes.

 **matttheew:**  I'm totally freaking out right now. Like??????!!!!!! WHAT IS HAPPENUNG TO ME???! Call me asAP!!

_*gonna but in here for a sec. I hate doing these in the middle of a part. but I just wanted to say that isn't just "matthew" with extra letters. well, it is. but when you break it up, it says "_ _ matt the ew _ _". matt is a clever lil smartie that likes puns and codes. and he'd totally be a huge meme with self deprecating humor. so yeah. that's all I have to say. continue.*_

She quickly hit call as she walked back to the living room. Hunk and Lance followed her, the three of them all sitting in the couch together. Pidge in the middle.

Matt quickly answered, and even though Pidge didn't have speakerphone on, Hunk and Lance could still hear, "Pidge, oh my god, I'm about to have a meltdown!!"

"Slow down, Matt. What happened? Are you okay?" She asked, trying to stay as calm as possible.

"I quit my job, I couldn't go back. Jesus, everything is so weird!" He was super worked up.

"You gotta breathe, big bro. Come on. Deep breaths. Then tell me why you quit." She was used to handling panicking like this from all of Lance's panic attacks that she had witnessed.

He  took a few deep breaths before blurting out what happened, "IsleptwitymycoworkerJakeafterwegotdrunkatthispartyandnowit'ssuperawkwardbecausehe'sgayandIdidntthinkIwasgaybutIsortalikeditandnowIdon'tknowwhattodo!!!"

"Wait, what? Slow down." She looked over at Lance, who seemed to have understood some of that. His eyes were super wide.

Matt sighed and told her again, but a bit slower and with fewer details, "I slept with my coworker, Jake. Jake, who is male. A boy. I slept with  _another boy_!!"

Her jaw dropped, "Holy shit! What happened?!"

He took another deep breath, "He invited me to go to this party with him. I thought nothing of it and said yes, sounded like it'd be fun. An hour into the party we're both drunk and hooking up in an empty bedroom! Apparently he's gay and invited me with those exact intentions."

She thought for a moment, "He didn't, like, force you... Right?"

"No! Of course, not! He's a nice guy!" He paused, "The problem here is that I  _never said no._ I wanted to have sex with him. And I think I liked it, I don't know! It's really fucking with me because I never thought for a moment that I might be gay! But now...."

"But now you're not so sure." She sighed, "You quit your job because of this?"

"Yes.. And no." He was the one to sigh this time, "This happened last weekend. I tried talking to him about at work on Monday, to tell him I didn't like him like that. That I was drunk and it was a mistake to lead him on like that.."

"Okay, and how did that go?"

"I chickened out and ended up not telling him... I just avoided him all shift. But then he came to me after I clocked out. He assumed that since I was so into it at the party, that it would be a great idea to grab my ass. I instinctively slapped him but I felt really bad about it and started apologizing like crazy."

"Why did you apologize?!" She looked  _pissed_ , "He groped you, that's workplace harassment!"

"He didn't know any better! We had literally fucked two nights before, he thought I was into him!" He let out a deep sigh, "I felt bad about slapping him. But he thought I slapped him because he startled me, not because he grabbed  _my fucking ass_. So he sorta cornered me against the wall, asking me out on another date. I totally panicked and pushed him into a pile of empty boxes before leaving."

Pidge's look of anger remained firmly planted on her face, "This Jake sounds like a huge asshole."

"He's really not! I just never got the balls to tell him I didn't like him. It was all a big misunderstanding! But the next day he came to talk to me again, but this time in the open and not in the back room. It was off to the side so we could talk a bit more privately but there were still people around. He said he was sorry if he did anything to scare or hurt me in any way. I was a stuttering mess but I managed to tell him why I reacted the way I did. It was super awkward. He felt really bad, thinking he had pressured me into it or something. Which he didn't, he didn't do anything wrong. It was all me. I feel really bad about it still. Wednesday and Thursday were beyond awkward. He avoided me at all costs, only talking to me if he had to. The whole time I'm having an existential crisis because I didn't think I was into dudes until now. Today I ended up quitting, it was becoming a distraction for the both of us. I'm coming home in a few weeks anyway, I'd have to take leave or quit either way. So that worked out. But now I'm totally confused about everything!!"

Pidge sighed, her anger subsiding, "Well if you liked having gay sex then that's a pretty good indicator that you might be gay. Or at least bi or pan. Actually..." She glanced at Lance, who was sitting next to her and listening to everything, "I think I know a certain bisexual best friend of mine who might be a great help with figuring it out. It'd be helpful for you if you talked to someone who's had issues with their sexuality. I've never thought twice about, but Lance has. He and Hunk have been eavesdropping this whole time whole time. But don't worry, I'll swear them to silence if you want me to."

Matt took a deep breath, "I guess if he's already heard everything anyway... It couldn't hurt to talk to someone who's been through it."

"My thoughts exactly!" She smiled, "You can talk to him now if you want."

"No, just tell him to text me later. I'm sure you guys were having fun until I interrupted."

"You're more important than fun." Her smile softened, "And we weren't really doing anything too exciting anyway."

"Yeah, you're more important than fun too. I'll text you tonight, okay? I have an essay to finish bullshitting." He laughed.

Pidge laughed too, "Okay. Later nerd."

"Later," Matt said as he hung up.

Pidge leaned back into the cushions with a huff, "That asshole scared me." She chuckled a bit.

Lance chuckled too, "Well, now we can rightfully laugh at his jeans."

Pidge burst out laughing, all three of them did, " _That's_  why Jake thought he was gay!"

They kept laughing together as the front door opened, Pidge's parents walking in.

"What's going on in here?" Sam asked as he walked into the living room.

"Nothing," Pidge said as she stopped laughing, sitting up. She and Matt a rule not to tell their parents anything about the other unless they specifically said it was okay or someone was in some form of danger. It caused less trouble that way.

Colleen smiled at them before walking to the kitchen, she and Sam were always glad to see Pidge and Lance having such a good time. They were the two that made it out of the Anna situation the worst.

Sam walked to the couch, smiling at the three teens, "How are you boys doing?"

"Good." Lance and Hunk said at the same time, laughing after.

"We're great, dad," Lance said with a smile. He called both Colleen and Sam 'mom' and 'dad'. Pidge called Lance's parents 'mama' and 'papa' too.

Sam nodded, "That's good. I thought you three were going to Allura's with Shiro and Keith today ."

"Keith's working and Allura canceled." Pidge shrugged, "I'm sure Shiro wasn't going either way though. We think they broke up today. They've been having a bit of a rough time."

Lance nodded in agreement, "Yeah Keith went to Shiro's after dropping me off at work. Shiro asked him to come over."

Sam sighed, "That's a shame, they're good kids."

"Two people may be good as individuals but that doesn't always mean they're good as a couple." Hunk pointed out.

Sam nodded, "Very true." He turned his attention to Lance, "How are your scars doing? Katie's aren't showing any signs that they're going to fade any time soon."

Lance shrugged and looked at the scars on his wrists from where Anna had tied him up. They stood out against his skin, having not faded at all, "It's just a scar, nothing I can't live with."

Pidge smiled and held out her hand next to his, her scars stood out as well, "They're our matching friendship bracelets. Permanent ones."

Then the three teens spoke at the same time, "Friends who survive a psychotic murderer together, stay together." Then they all laughed at their jinx.

Sam gave them a sad smile, "I'm glad you've all found a way to get through it. Are you still seeing a therapist, Lance."

Lance sighed, shrugging a bit, "Yeah, every other week. But it was at least twice a week nine months ago so I'm making progress." He had chosen not to go visit his parents to avoid these exact questions, but he didn't want to be rude and not answer. He knew everyone was worried about him.

Sam nodded, "That's really good. Are you still taking your medication?"

Pidge rolled her eyes, "That's enough, dad. He has his own parents asking questions like this. Cut him some slack. Besides, he lives with Keith. We all know he isn't going to let Lance get bad again."

"I know, I know." Sam sighed with a smile, "I was just checking on him."

"I'm fine, really." Lance smiled at him, "I could be better, in all honesty. But I've improved a lot in the past 9 months. I'll be okay. And Pidge is right, Keith isn't going to let me get bad. He's always there when I have nightmares, he reminds me to take my meds, he takes care of me."

"I don't doubt that. You two are in it for the long haul, that much is clear.. I'll leave you kids be now." He left the room, the three saying bye to him as he walked away.

Hunk looked at Lance after Sam was gone, "You did tell him the truth, right? You really are feeling better?" It wouldn't be the first time Lance had lied about his mental state. He had lied to his therapist's face when he was super bad. Keith had to stop him from making a bad decision that night. But it's been 6 months since that.

"I may have sugar coated things a bit... But I am getting better, really." Lance smiled at his friends, "I admit I've hit a bit of a slump, the past few days have been hard. But Keith knows this time, I'll get through it."

Pidge sighed and smiled, "Okay, if you're sure." She only had to go to therapy for a few weeks after the incident. She wasn't traumatized like Lance was. But for her it was just one night of scary shit, it was a full week for him.

"What time is Keith getting off work tonight?" Hunk asked. He always tried to wait until Keith was off before taking Lance home. No one liked the idea of leaving Lance alone for long periods of time, it just leads to panic attacks and everyone getting a million texts from him.

Lance shrugged, looking at his phone, "I think seven." He went looking through his photos, he had a picture of Keith's work schedule for that week, "Yep, seven."

"It's 6:20 now.." Pidge said, checking the time on her phone, "We can chill until he gets out if you want."

Lance shrugged, standing, "Actually, I should get back now. I have a project due next week." He didn't give a fuck about being home alone (until the anxiety kicks in, that is) and hates when they treat him like he's 'made of glass' (his own words).

"Are you sure?" Hunk asked, "There's still forty minutes left."

Lance just shrugged, putting his phone in his pocket, "If you wanna stay, then stay. I'll go ask Isa to drive me home. I'll say hi to everyone while I'm there."

"I'll drive you, I just think we should stay a bit longer." Hunk bit his lip.

Lance shook his head, "No, stay with your girlfriend. I'll text you when I get home." He started to walk towards the front door.

Pidge sighed, letting him go, "Okay... Bye."

Lance gave a slight wave to everyone before leaving, heading down the street to his parent's house.

Hunk watched him through the window, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Definitely." Pidge shrugged, "His family will try to get him to stay as long as they can, they miss him. Keith might get home before he does."

The realization showed on Hunk's face, "Duh, I should've realized that. It's going to take him twenty minutes alone just to get his mom to stop asking questions."

Pidge smirked, "Exactly. He'll be fine. Even if he's clearly not telling us how bad he really is."

"Keith would tell us if it got out of hand, right?" Hunk turned to look at her now that Lance was out of sight.

She nodded, "Yeah, definitely. He always does. If Keith isn't worried, then we shouldn't be either."

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

Meanwhile, at Fran's Diner, Keith had just finished cleaning off one of the tables he was waiting on. There weren't any customers in the diner right now, the rush wouldn't start until after the game at the school let out. Then all his classmates would flood in, but Keith would be gone by then. He took the dishes from his last table back to the kitchen, where his coworker was busy cleaning them all.

She went to school at St. Vivian's so he'd known her since she moved to town, her name was Emilia. She was a sophomore, but super mature for her age and taller than most girls her age. Her makeup and dyed black hair made her look even older. Most customers thought she was at least 20, hardly anyone believed she was 16. Keith had to show a few perverted customers out on their late nights.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she took the dishes from Keith, "I know that face, Keith. You're thinking about something, probably over thinking. "

He sighed, leaning against the counter next to the oversized sink, "I'm worried about Lance..."

She glanced at him as she kept washing, "Aren't you always?"

"Yeah, but I think he's starting to get bad again.." He ran his hand through his bangs, the only part of his hair not in his tiny ponytail, "Maybe I'm overreacting.. I don't know. He's been getting more nightmares lately. Maybe it's just a coincidence. He seems a lot more chill these days. But I don't know if that's good or bad. He's been wanting to spend more time inside watching TV rather than going out doing things. Maybe it's just his anxiety going down, when it's up he can't stay cooped up, he has to do something to distract himself. The entire time I've known him he's had some shit going on. Maybe he's just calmer when his life isn't a hell hole."

She sighed and turned the water off, looking at him, "Trust your gut. Don't jump the gun just yet, but maybe you should ask people who've known him longer if this is typical behavior for him. Yeah, you've known each other for 10 months now. But like you said, he's had shit going on in his life for those entire 10 months. I'd ask your friends about it, maybe his siblings too. You've seen him at his worst, you see it every day. But have you ever seen him at his best?"

Keith sighed, "You make a good point.. I'll call his sister when I get the chance..."

They heard a bell from the main area of the diner, meaning new customers just showed up.

"You're up gaylord." Emilia said as she turned the water back on. Keith was the only waiter scheduled for that shift. They had four coming in after he left.

He rolled his eyes, "Shut the fuck up, Em. I caught you making out with Stella in the bible study room last year." He walked away from the sink, hearing her snicker behind him. She couldn't deny that even if she wanted to.

Unfortunately, the cook overheard that and hit him with a towel, "Language, Kogane." The cook was named Freddie, he was over 40 years old. But he was also the manager. His older brother owned the place, it was a family business. Fran was their grandma.

Keith shrugged, "Yeah, yeah. I know." He walked out of the kitchen to see two people sit down at a booth near the kitchen door. A boy and girl both about his age. But the boy had his blue hood up, pulled forward enough to cover most of his face. The girl was wearing huge sunglasses and sun hat, also covering most of her face. Keith definitely thought that this was weird but he grabbed two menus and walked to their booth anyway.

"Hello, welcome to Fran's. I'm Keith and I'll be your server this evening ." He set down the two menus in front of them, "Anything to drink while you look through the menu?"

"Water." The girl said simply, looking down at her menu.

The boy snickered, looking down and trying to hold it together, "Same.."

Keith found the situation even weirder now but went along with it, "Okay.. I'll be right back." He walked to the bar of the diner and started to get their drinks.

Emilia walked out then, taking one look at the new customers and walking to Keith, "What's up with that shady couple?" She asked in a whisper. She just hung out with him when they were slow, there were no dishes to do.

Keith shrugged, "I dunno. Probably a prank, maybe a dare. Stay on guard, I guess." He whispered back before taking the two glasses of ice water to the booth, "Here you are." He said as he set the glasses down, setting down straws too, "Do you need a few more minutes?"

The girl shook her head, "Cheeseburger and fries. No salt on the fries, and nothing on the burger but cheese."

Keith furrowed his eyebrows but wrote down her order, "Alright, anything else." She shook her head so he turned to the boy, "What would you like?"

The boy was having trouble holding back his laughter again, "Chicken fingers... With fries, but I do want salt." He covered his mouth, snickering.

Keith wrote that down, "Uh... Okaaay. Any sauce for your chicken?"

The boy nodded, his face still hidden, "Barbecue.."

Keith wrote that, "Alright. That all?"

They both nodded so Keith took their menus and walked back to the kitchen, giving their order to Freddie.

Emilia walked back over, "What's got that dude so giggly?" She kept her voice low since their table was so close, but she didn't need to whisper here.

"No clue." Keith sighed, "And that girl is apparently picky with her burger. Nothing but cheese, and no salt on the fries. I knew a girl who always ordered that at my old foster home. Then she'd add the ketchup herself."

"Maybe it's that same girl, playing a prank on you?" Freddie suggested as he started the meal.

Keith shook his head, "No... It couldn't be." He looked down, "Definitely not." He glanced at the clock, it was 6:27, "Hey, can you guys keep an eye on them? We're not busy so I want to see if Lance has tried to get a hold of me. I haven't checked my phone since I got here two hours ago."

Freddie nodded, "Yeah, no problem. I'll send Emilia for you if we need you." Keith had been working here since he moved to town a year before the Anna incident. Freddie knew all about what happened and was very understanding about it and would let him split his breaks up on days he wanted to check on Lance more frequently. His breaks were shorter but he got more of them. But today was busy because of the game. Before and after games are their busiest times ever, but they're dead during them.

Keith smiled at Freddie before going back to their locker room. It was just a small room with a bunch of small lockers that didn't even lock. He went to his and got out his phone, checking his messages.

**5:09 pm**

**leggylance:**  okay, don't work too hard. btw Allura cancelled so I'm going to Pidge's with Hunk instead. Love you!!! ♡♡♡

He'd sent it when he got off work nearly a hour and a half ago.

**6: 23 pm**

**katiehatesyou:** lance just left my place. He's going to his parents to visit, then Isa will give him a ride home. Just wanted to keep you updated in case he forgets to text you

That was only from a few minutes ago. Keith sighed and texted her back.

**_kmskeith:_ ** _i haven't gotten a text from him since he got of work but that's okay. Thanks for the update_

He then texted Lance back.

**_kmskeith:_ ** _I'm fine baby, I'll be home soon. I love you too. Oh, pidge texted to tell me you stopped by your parents place. Tell everyone i said hey_

He was about to put his phone away when he got another text.

 **shirogone:**  lura made up her mind, we're over.

Keith sighed as he read that, but he knew it was going to happen eventually. He just knew it'd be hard for Shiro. He put his phone back in his locker and got back to work, planning on calling him after he got off. When he walked back out to the kitchen, he checked on the booth from the doorway. He saw the two teens whispering to each other, keeping their faces hidden. He couldn't help get an eerie vibe from them.

"Keith, are you okay?" Emilia asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

He nodded, turning to look at her, "Yeah, I think I'm just a bit paranoid..."

She sighed, "After everything you've been through, I'd bet. But those two are giving me the creeps too. I just want them to leave."

"Yeah, me too." He glanced back at them for a moment before walking over to see if Freddie was done with their order. He had finished the chicken and was just finishing up the burger. Keith waited patiently for him to finish before carrying it out to the couple, "Here you go. Do you need anything while I'm still here?"

They both shook their head. The boy just couldn't help but laugh every time Keith came to the booth. The girl waved her hand, shooing Keith away.

Keith didn't mind, he didn't want to be around them anyway. He quickly left and went back to the kitchen, "God I can't wait until they leave." He said in a hushed tone as he walked back to the sinks to talk to Emilia.

The two talked in the back of the kitchen for a while, trying their best to get away from the creepy vibes the couple gave off. But Keith did go back out every once in a while to check on them, getting them a refill when he got them their bill. As it neared the end of his shift he heard the bell. He assumed the rush was starting and people were showing up. However, when he went out the diner was empty. The couple was gone. They had left a $20 bill on the table, a business card paper clipped to it. Keith picked it up, looking at it curiously. It wasn't an ordinary business card. It was white with two simple words in small, black text.

_"custodi mutationem"_

Keith looked at it with confusion, Emilia coming up at reading it over his shoulder, "The fuck is that?" She asked.

He shrugged, "No clue.."

She read it over a few times, "Ah... Custody mutations."

He looked at her and laughed, "I'm sure that's not it." He looked back at the card and flipped it over, seeing there was more on the back.

_"sic incipit tempestas ingruerit"_

"What's with all the gibberish?" She frowned.

He shook his head, "I don't think it's gibberish. Actually, it looks like it might be Latin.."

"You know Latin?" She raised her eyebrow, suspecting that was total bull.

"No. But Lance does. He might know what it says." He put the card in his pocket, "He's taking AP Latin, and he's top of the class. If it is Latin then he'll know"

She nodded, "Okay. Oh, I came over to tell you that your shift is over. I'll clean the booth. You've already put in an extra half hour today. Besides, Daisey, Sean, and Nora will be here any minute to take your shift for the rush."

I smiled at her, "Okay, thanks. I hate getting home after Lance does, you know how he gets." He want to the back room and went to his locker, taking off his apron and putting it in, taking his leather jacket out and putting it on. He grabbed his phone and checked it again.

 **6:48 pm**  
**leggylance:**  i just got home. miss you!!!!

 **leggylance:** ♥ *✧ ♡ ✧ ♥(ꈍᴗꈍ)♥ ✧ ♡ ✧* ♥

Keith laughed at the texts, thinking he had the most adorable boyfriend in the world.

 ** _kmskeith:_** _i just got off work beautiful. I miss you too. I'll be home in a few. I'm going to call Shiro real quick so don't panic if you can't get hold of me. I love you._ ♡♡

He put his phone in his pocket before going back into the kitchen to grab the dinner Freddie had made for him and Lance. Normally, he'd take it out of the employees check if they got that much food. He only allowed free food in small portions and offered discounts for larger ones. But he made an exception for Keith, knowing his circumstances. After getting the food, Keith clocked out and went out to the back parking lot. He put the bag of food in the holder on the back of his bike before taking out his bluetooth headset and helmet. He'd bought the bluetooth specifically for riding. He called Shiro, letting it ring as he put on the headset and his helmet on top of it. The helmet blocked the wind from messing up the sound quality since it was shielded in the front. Shiro answered as Keith was starting his bike and leaving the parking lot.

"Hey, Keith.." Shiro grumbled.

"Hey, dude. How ya holding up?" Keith asked with a sigh.

Shiro didn't answer at first, "Could be better... Totally saw this coming but that doesn't make it easier watching my three year relationship go down the drain.."

"Yeah, I know it must be tough." Keith paused, not knowing what to say, "This is honestly for the best. Long distance almost never works out. Especially a distance that big. You'd just be putting off the inevitable. At least you ended things on good terms."

"You're right." Shiro said with a deep sigh, "I'd still be where I am now, just at a later point and things might've ended bad between us.. You're right, this was the best option. Just... It just hurts.."

Keith thought for a moment before speaking, "Pull a classic move from every chick flick ever. Eat so much ice cream and chocolate that you throw up, maybe get a little drunk, and watch loads of sappy movies. Allow the grieving period for your relationship, you might feel better in the morning. You can't lay around depressed forever, get it all out of your system tonight."

Shiro laughed a bit, "You know what, I just might... Are you home yet?"

"No, but I'm on my way now. Why?"

"I was just wondering. I'll let you go, man. I'm sure Lance will want your full attention when you get home." Shiro chuckled.

"Yeah, he can talk your head off sometimes." Keith chuckled too, but then he got serious, "He still gets antsy when we're apart, even more when he's alone... He only got home less than twenty minutes ago so I know he's okay, he can be alone for about forty-five minutes before going into a panic attack now. But he's bound to be anxious right now unless he's managed to focus himself on something else."

"Well, nine months ago we couldn't leave him alone for even five minutes without him falling into a panic attack." Shiro sighed, "He's doing a lot better."

"Yeah, he is." Keith pulled into his parking lot, "I'm home, man. Talk to you later."

"Okay, see ya." Shiro said, hanging up.

Keith parked his bike and went inside with their dinner. They were on the third floor, but luckily had elevators.

He got to their apartment hurriedly, getting inside and locking the door behind him, "Lance! I'm home!" He didn't get a reply, "Lance!!" Still nothing, "Lance?!"

Keith quickly rushed into the living room, not seeing Lance there, "Lance?!" He was starting to panic.

He ran to the kitchen next, still no sign of him, "Lance!"

He checked the bathroom but he wasn't there either, next he checked the bedroom.

Lance was asleep in bed, his headphones on and curled up tightly in the blankets.

Keith sighed in relief, setting the bag of food on their dresser and walking over to the bed. Then he leaned down to kiss Lances cheek as he took his headphones off, "Lancey... Wake up, babe." He said softly, gently rubbing his boyfriend's shoulder.

Lance stirred a bit, "Hmm...." He sat up slowly, reaching up to rub his eyes. Afterward, he looked up to smile at Keith, "You're home." He said sleepily.

Keith nodded, leaning down to kiss him properly, "You sure were tired, didn't you just get home twenty minutes ago?"

Lance grabbed his phone and looked at the time, nodding, "I didn't feel good."

Keith frowned and sat on the bed next to him, "What's wrong?"

Lance shrugged, "It's just been a long day, I wanted to take a nap. I stopped by my parent's house and answered questions for twenty minutes before I finally got Isa to drive me home."

Keith sighed, "You promise me that's all it was, just a long day?" He knew when Lance got really depressed he could end up just staying in bed sleeping all day.

Lance nodded, "I promise. You know I'd tell you if I'm getting bad again, I don't want to repeat that night six months ago... With the pills..."

Keith frowned, he hated that memory. He had found Lance crying in the bathroom taking a brand new bottle of ibuprofen out of its packaging. Keith showed up just in time to stop him from taking them all, "Let's not talk about that night... Best not to dwell on bad memories."

Lance nodded, "Okay.. But my point still stands, if I feel myself getting bad again I'll tell you."

Keith kissed him softly, "I know, Lancey... But you've been off the past couple days, you've been having more nightmares too."

Lance sighed, "So I hit a bit of a slump, it doesn't mean I'm getting bad. I'll get over it."

Keith nodded, "Just let me know if you can't get out of that slump..."

Lance kissed him, "I promise."

Keith gave him one last kiss, this one on the top of his head, "I brought dinner home. Let's eat before it gets cold."

Lance nodded and got out of bed, following Keith to the kitchen. Once they sat down Keith started pulling their food out of the bag. This was their routine. They'd sit down and eat dinner together while talking about their days. They just had less to talk about on days they spent together.

Keith held Lance's free hand while they ate, "Are you almost done with your Latin project?"

"I'll work on it tomorrow." Lance said with a shrug, meaning the answer was most definitely 'no'.

Keith rolled his eyes with a chuckle, "Okay.. How was work today? Was that okay?" He asked as they started eating.

Lance shrugged again, taking a bite of his food first, "The usual. Except there's was one guy who slipped me a card when he gave me the cash for his drink. I ignored it, thinking it was just his number or something. But after he left, when I was about to throw it away, I saw it wasn't his number at all. It said 'keep the change' in Latin on one side and something about storms on the other side, also in Latin. I just tossed it."

Keith tensed slightly, "I got a weird Latin card too..." He let go of Lance's hand and reached into his pocket, pulling the card out to show it to Lance.

Lance took it and looked at it, "Yeah, this is exactly what I got..." He pointed to the two words on the front, "That says 'keep the change'." He flipped the card, "And this means.." He paused, rereading it to make sure he was right, "Well that part means storm.. No, it's more specific. It means whirlwind... And this.. It could mean a few things depending on context... Hm.. Jeez, this is why I just threw mine away." He kept reading the card, mumbling to himself so low that Keith couldn't understand him. Then he set down the card with a sigh, "I think it says a storm is beginning, a whirlwind specifically."

Keith took the card back, looking at it again, "Weird.. Maybe it's just a prank? It wouldn't be the first time someone tried to screw with our heads after finding out what happened in August. This was left by a couple our age. The boy couldn't stop laughing every time I came over. The girl barely spoke at all."

Lance frowned, "I hope that's all... Just a prank.." He looked down at his food.

Keith set the card down and reached over to hold Lance's hand again, "Hey, don't worry. If we get so much as one more creepy message then we'll go straight to Detective Anderson, okay?" Anderson was the one in charge of the Anna case, he also handled all the pranks like this in the past. Keith had his number on speed dial, so did Lance.

Lance nodded with a slight smile, "Okay.." He held Keith's hand a bit tighter, "Good idea."

Keith raised Lance's hand a kissed the back of it, "I'll take care of you, I promise." He then kissed Lance's scar, "I'll protect you. I won't let anyone hurt you again... Ever."

Lance smiled and leaned over, kissing Keith softly, "I know."


	3. through hell or high water

"Stop!" Lance screamed, sitting up in bed. Breathing heavily and tears streaming down his cheeks.

Keith quickly sat up and wrapped his arms around Lance, "Lancey, calm down. You're okay. It's not real, you're here with me. I love you," he spoke softly before kissing Lance's cheek.

Lance nodded, his breathing returning to normal as he leaned into Keith, "I-I'm sorry..."

Keith frowned, holding Lance close, "You never have to be sorry, I tell you that every time..."

Lance just sighed, "I'm still sorry."

Keith kissed the top of his head, "It's 4 am. Let's go back to sleep."

Lance shook his head, sitting up properly "I-I think I'm going to stay up for a bit..."

Keith held his hand, "I'll stay up with you."

"No, go back to sleep. I'll be okay." Lance stood and left the room.

Keith considered following him but figured it would be best to let Lance have some space. He sighed and laid back down.

Lance walked out to the living room, he grabbed the throw blanket and wrapped it around himself before laying down on the couch. He didn't care to turn on the tv. He just stared at the black screen, tears streaming down his cheeks still.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

** May 5 - 8:57 pm **

**katiehatesyou:** do you and lance want to hang out today? Hunk hasn't texted me back but Shiro and Allura said they're not feeling up to it

**_kmskeith:_ ** _i don't know. lance had a super bad nightmare last night. he's sleeping on the couch now. he's been there since 4am. i'm worried he won't be okay today_

**katiehatesyou:** maybe me and Hunk can come over. we can try to cheer him up.

**_kmskeith:_ ** _maybe later. i have work tonight but i'm afraid to leave him. so if you could come over then i'd greatly appreciate it_

**katiehatesyou:** totally. i'll get with hunk when he wakes up and we can formulate a game plan

**_kmskeith:_ ** _sounds good. i gtg. i want to surprise lance by making chocolate chip pancakes. theyre his favorite._

**katiehatesyou:** you guys are cute. ttyl

Keith put his phone down and finished getting out the ingredients for the pancakes. He always made them from scratch. It took him about a half hour to make them. As he was finishing up he heard Lance walking into the kitchen.

"It smells good in here..." Lance said, he had the blanket pulled around him still.

Keith looked at him with a smile, "I made your favorite. You had a rough night so I thought this might cheer you up."

Lance smiled a bit and sat down at the kitchen table, "Thank you."

"No need to thank me," After a few minutes Keith walked to the table with two plates and sat down next to Lance.

Lance rubbed his eyes before he started to eat, "Well I'm still going to thank you."

Keith reached over and held Lance's hand, lifting it to kiss the back of it, "How are you feeling?"

Lance just shrugged, "I dunno..."

"Lance... Talk to me.. What's going on in that pretty little head of yours."

Lance sighed, "I just feel... bad."

Keith rubbed the back of Lance's hand, "How bad?"

"Not suicidal bad if that's what you're worried about." Lance wanted to clarify that first before taking a few moments to try to find the right words to explain what he was feeling, "It just.. It feels like I'm stuck in the ocean and I've forgotten how to swim, trying to stay afloat but drowning anyway."

Keith felt his heart break a bit more with each word, "How long have you been feeling like this?"

Lance shrugged, "A couple days, but it wasn't as bad at first. It gradually got worse every day.. Like the water was getting deeper and deeper as time went on."

"You should've told me, you promised you'd tell me these things. Yesterday you said you were fine," Keith looked down at their hands, feeling lied to.

Lance frowned, "I told you I hit a slump and I would be able to get out of it, but apparently I was just digging myself in deeper."

Keith reached over for his phone, "I'm calling off work today."

"No, don't do that. I can just go to Pidge's while you're at work. You don't have to call off for me." Lance reached over, trying to get Keith to put the phone down.

Keith started texting someone anyway, "I'm going to ask Lacey to take my shift, I want to be with you today."

Lance frowned, "I won't be alone, Pidge will be with me. Maybe Hunk too. And don't forget Shiro and Allura. There's plenty of people I can go to while you're at work."

Keith finished typing and sent the text, then looked at Lance, "You've gotten a nightmare almost every night this week, and your behavior has been... off. I don't feel comfortable leaving you while you're like this. I'm staying home."

Lance sighed, knowing Keith was too hot-headed to give in, "Okay."

Keith leaned over and kissed Lance's forehead, "I just want to make sure you're safe. Last time I let you convince me into going into work anyway, things didn't turn out very well." He was referring to the pill incident again.

Lance held his hand, "I already told you, I'm not getting those kinds of thoughts again. I would definitely tell you about those."

Keith nodded, "I trust you, but you have to come to terms with the fact your sick. Mental illness is just as serious as physical illness. You have to take care of yourself, and sometimes you have to let other people take care of you. Your PTSD has made your depression worse, and that scares me. It  _terrifies_ me. I don't want to lose you." he didn't realize, but he was starting to tear up a bit.

Now Lance's heart was starting to break, "I'm not going anywhere." He kissed him, "I love you so much.  _Mi amor por ti es mayor que las estrellas_."

Keith smiled, repeating what Lance had said but in English, "My love for you is greater than the stars."

Lance smiled back, "Never forget that" he kissed him again, "You're my greatest reason for living."

Keith squeezed Lance's hand softly before standing up, "Come on, we're going to do something fun today. It's a Saturday, let's make the most of it."

Lance chuckled, "I still haven't finished my Latin project."

"We have Sunday for that," Keith pulled Lance out of his chair, "Go get ready, I'll clean this up."

Lance shook his head, "I clean when you cook, and vice versa. That's how this works."

Keith chuckled, "Well next time you cook I'll let you clean up too and we'll call it even."

"Okay," Lance gave Keith one final kiss before heading to the bedroom.

Keith was just glad Lance was smiling again. He started to clean the kitchen up, it took him about twenty minutes since we had made everything from scratch. He had mixing bowls and whisks to clean, their dishwasher was broken and the landlord hadn't sent anyone to fix it yet. After he finished, he went to the bedroom to check on Lance.

Lance had just gotten out of the shower and finished putting on his clothes, skinny jeans and one of Keith's black and blue three-quarter length sleeved shirts. Lance had gotten all new clothes, so he didn't have to wear clothes that were too small anymore. But he still frequently stole Keith's shirts that were one size too small and preferred skinny jeans after becoming accustomed to the tightness. He was looking around the room, mumbling under his breath, " _Maldita sea, lo perdí de nuevo_..."

Keith had finally learned Spanish after knowing Lance for 9 months, he was always talking to himself in Spanish so Keith took Spanish class way more seriously. He wanted Lance to be able to talk in his primary language whenever he wanted to. Keith's pronunciation was decent at best, but he could understand Spanish very well. So he was able to understand that Lance was saying he'd lost something.

"What are you looking for, babe?" Keith asked.

Lance looked at him with a frown, "My bracelet."

Keith nodded and started looking around to help him find it, that was the level up bracelet Keith had given him when he asked him to be his boyfriend. Lance wore it every day, but he was always misplacing it when he took it off. After a few minutes, he found it on the floor by the dresser, "Found it, it must've fallen off."

Lance smiled and took it from him, putting it on happily, "Thank you," He walked to the vanity, starting to do his makeup. Something he only did when hey went out, or when he just felt like it. His daily look was just some mascara and lip gloss.

Keith walked over and kissed the top of his head, "We're not doing anything too fancy today, so you don't have to go all out." he knew usually Lance didn't want to do full coverage, usually saving that for special occasions.

"Okay, I was wanting to do a natural look anyway. Maybe winged liner too. I'll decide when I get to it." Lance chuckled as he rubbed in the primer.

Keith nodded, "Do whatever you want, Lancey. You'll look beautiful no matter what you chose. I'm going to shower."

Lance nodded, watching Keith leave the room before going back to his makeup. He skipped foundation and just used concealer and face powder. Then he put on some slightly tinted lip gloss. After he did winged liner, followed by mascara. Lastly, he filled in his eyebrows. He smiled at his reflection, proud of himself for getting his eyeliner even on the first try. " _Perfecta_."

Now that he was done getting ready, he went to the living room and checked his phone while sitting on the couch.

** 8:59 am **

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _keith's worried about you, which makes me worried about you. how are you doing?_

**leggylance:**  i'm not going to lie to you. things are getting pretty bad. not bad enough that i'm having suicidal thoughts agian. but still bad. me and keith talked about it this morning, we're handeling it. don't worry. I'll be okay.

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _promise?_

**leggylance:**  promise. me and him are going out to have fun today, he's trying his best to help. he always does

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _i'll leave you alone then. enjoy your day with your boyfriend. text me if you need me. i'm always online_

**leggylance** : i know lol. have a good day too, with whatever you're doing

 **leggylance:**  now i'm curious, what are you doing?

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _working on a super secret project that has been a year in the making, i'll show it to you guys once it's done_

**leggylance:**  so that's why you've been spending so much time in the AV room

**_katiehatesyou_ ** _: yep. mr clarke has been helping me out and even got me a grant for the materials needed_

**leggylance:** holy shit that's awesome

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _ikr, i'm so excited for you guys to see the final result_

**leggylance:**  gtg keith just got out of the shower and i wanna talk to him

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _tell him i said hi. have fun today. luv you_

Lance put his phone down and walked back to the bedroom, seeing Keith pulling on his black v-neck, matched with his black skinny jeans, "Pidge says hi," He laid on his stomach on the bed, "You do know other colors exist, right?"

Keith rolled his eyes, "At least my side of the closet isn't arranged by the colors of the rainbow."

Lance shrugged, "It helps me color coordinate an outfit."

"Whatever you say, babe," Keith smiled and ran his fingers through Lance's hair, as he knew he loved, before going to the nightstand to grab his necklace and put it on. It was the level up necklace Lance had gotten him for his birthday.

Lance smiled and watched him, "So, what are we doing today?"

"It's a secret," Keith chuckled.

Lance pouted, "I want to know."

Keith helped Lance stand up, "Well we should probably hurry up then." He held Lance close, his arms wrapped around his waist.

Lance placed his hands on Keith's chest and pouted, " _Estas siendo malo conmigo_."

"I'm not being mean." Keith kissed his nose, "You're just being impatient." Keith tended to respond in English even when Lance spoke in Spanish, he didn't want his bad pronunciation to lead to miscommunication.

Lance kept pouting, "Very mean."

Keith sighed, "Will you stop calling me mean if I give you a hint."

Lance nodded, "Maybe."

Keith smiled, "Well first we're going somewhere very fun, then we're going somewhere for lunch, then we're going to see something, after that we're going somewhere else very fun. And at the end, we're going to stop for dinner before coming home to watch some movies and cuddle. Everything we're doing today has a sentimental meaning to it too. Well, all but one."

"Sentimental?" Lance tilted his head a bit.

Keith nodded, "You'll see. Come on, let's go."

Lance smiled, "Okay," he followed Keith to the door.

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

Keith parked the motorcycle outside an arcade. Lance looked a bit confused, "I don't get it."

Keith chuckled as they both got off and put the helmets in the holder, "Well, when we first met up you told me I needed to Level Up to become your friend," he grabbed his necklace that had the words 'Level Up' engraved on it, holding it tight, "That little game led us to where we are now. That silly game you made up on the spot is what brought us together. So I thought it might be fun to play a couple other games."

"Aw, Keith, that's so cute!" Lance hugged him, "I love you."

Keith hugged him back, "I love you too, now let's get inside."

Lance grabbed Keith's hand and ran inside with him. The two spent hours playing games in the arcade, Lance having a smile on his face for almost all of it. Almost, he'd get pouty when he lost. But quickly smile again when Keith showered him with kisses and told him how good he did. When they were done they cashed in their tickets for two matching stuffed cats. Lance got a blue one with a bow tie, Keith got a red one with glasses.

"That was so much fun!" Lance said with a giggle as he and Keith walked out the doors, hand in hand.

Keith smiled, "Now, time for lunch."

"Good 'cause I'm starving," Lance said as Keith put their helmets on, putting Lance's on for him as always. He kissed Lance's cheek before they got on.

Next Keith drove to the park. Not the new, nice park where Pidge and Hunk had their first date. Nope, he drove to the old one with the unsafe playground. But it was beautiful there nonetheless.

When they got off the motorcycle, Lance smiled, "This is where you asked me to be your boyfriend..." they took their helmets off.

Keith nodded, "Yep," he held Lance's hand and walked to the gazebo with him." Hunk was standing there.

"Hunk?" Lance asked, confused.

Keith chuckled, "I told you it was time for lunch."

"I made some of your favorites." Hunk smiled at them, he'd do anything to keep Lance happy.

Lance smiled as Keith led him into the gazebo, where a picnic was set up, "It's perfect."

Hunk backed away, "I'll leave you to alone. Just text me when you're done and I'll take this stuff home."

Keith nodded, "Thanks, buddy."

Hunk nodded before leaving.

Lance sat down with Keith, "He did make our favorites," he giggled a bit and started eating.

Keith smiled, watching Lance for a moment. This morning he thought it would be impossible to make Lance this happy today, but here they were, happy as can be, "I'm glad you're having fun." he started eating too.

Lance looked at Keith, "I don't deserve you," he held his hand.

Keith kissed his hand, "You deserve the universe. Never doubt your worth."

"You're just so perfect," Lance sighed happily.

Keith chuckled, "I'm far from perfect. But I'll always do my best to do right by you."

Lance leaned over to kiss him, "You've never done me wrong. Ever."

Keith smiled, "Let's just eat."

Lance nodded, continuing to eat. They ate happily, having fun small talk, and holding hands for most of it. Keith texted Hunk when they were almost done.

"Let's go get frozen yogurt, just for fun. No sentimentality to that one." Keith chuckled.

Lance giggled, "Sounds good."

They waited for Hunk to arrive, and once he did they headed off to sweetFrog, the fro-yo shop. They ate in the shop, still having fun. Lance was talking Keith's ear off, but that was okay. It meant Lance was feeling a bit more himself. Keith just wanted Lance to be happy.

After that, Keith drove them to a movie theater. He took Lance up inside and up to the ticket booth, "Two tickets for  _Ready Player One_ , please.

Lance smiled, "A movie about a video game... Very on brand." He chuckled.

Keith chuckled, "Let's get popcorn."

"We just had lunch  _and_ frozen yogurt," Lance said as he followed Keith to the concession stand.

Keith shrugged, "So, you can't go to the movies and not get popcorn. It's uncivilized."

Lance giggled, "Okay, just a small one."

Keith nodded and bought them popcorn and drinks. Then they went to the screen room, Lance chose them the best seats. They made fun of all the ads that came on before the trailers, then Lance made Keith shut up so he could watch the actual trailers. Then they watched the movie in peace. Lance leaned into Keith and Keith had his arm wrapped around Lance's shoulders.

After the movie Keith drove them to a roller skating rink, "This is the fun thing I was telling you that didn't have any sentimentality, the frozen yogurt was just spur of the moment."

Lance smiled as they got off the motorcycle, "I've never skated before."

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall." Keith smiled and grabbed Lance's before walking inside with him. Keith rented their skates and they want to sit down to put them on. Keith insisted on tying Lance's to make sure they were laced up properly. Once they got on the rink, Lance immediately started to lose balance.

Keith quickly wrapped his arm around Lance's waist to steady him, "I've got you."

Lance smiled at him, "This is harder than it looks."

Keith kept tight hold of him, "I'm here to make sure you stay steady, don't worry."

"It's easier with you holding me," Lance held on to Keith's shirt tightly.

Keith smiled, continuing to hold him. He spent at least half an hour teaching Lance how to skate, by then Lance was able to skate just holding Keith's hand. They continued skating for an hour before Lance said he was tired, so Keith led him back out of the rink and helped him change out of his skates.

"What now?" Lance asked as they returned their skates on the way out.

Keith held the door open for Lance, "Dinner, it's 5:30 already."

Lance smiled as they walked to Keith's motorcycle, "Can we just get takeout, I'm tired and want to go back home."

Keith nodded, grabbing Lance's helmet and putting it on him for him, "What do you want?" He put on his own helmet now.

Lance thought for a moment, "Chinese!"

Keith smiled, "Then that's what we'll get." he called their order in so it would be ready by the time they got there to pick it up. Then they drove to the restaurant, then straight home.

Keith held the bag of their food and Lance held the plush cats they'd won while humming happily as they took the elevator up to their apartment. Once they got to their floor, Lance walked to the door with a bounce in his step. But then he froze. There was a card taped to their door that was just like they both got at work the day before.

Keith took it off the door and walked inside, choosing to ignore it for now and setting it on the table. But Lance didn't want to ignore it. While Keith set their food out, Lance took the card and read it. On one side it read "ut veniam ad vos infernum", and on the other "nos venit". He started translating it in his head.

Keith looked over and sighed, "Lance, don't worry about that. It's probably just a prank. I'll tell Detective Anderson tomorrow."

Lance looked up at him, "It's one threatening prank. First, they say a whirlwind is coming, and now they're wishing hell upon us. And the other side says 'we arrived', whatever the hell that means. I don't think it's a prank, I think someone is threatening us for real."

Keith walked over took the card away from Lance and held his hands, "We'll let the police decide what it is. Okay? I promised you I wouldn't let anyone hurt you again. I'll keep you safe." he lifted Lance's hands and kissed each wrist, each scar, "No one will hurt you."

Lance relaxed a bit, "Okay... okay.."

Keith smiled at him, "Come eat. Then we can binge watch Netflix while cuddling for as long as you want." Keith couldn't stand that all the good he did to cheer Lance up today could be undone in a few seconds by a mere card.

Lance smiled, "Okay," he let Keith pull him to the kitchen table, trying to push the cards to the back of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I know Ready Player One came out in March, but it really fits in with the theme so that's why I chose it. Don't crucify me. I wanted this chapter to be really fluffy with the angst only hanging overhead. But it's going to drop soon. Be ready.


	4. every rose has its thorns

** May 6th **

** 9:46 am **

**shirogone:**  what are you doing today?

**_kmskeith:_ ** _i dont have any plans. why?_

**shirogone:**  i'm going to the police department today and was hoping you could come with me

**_kmskeith:_ ** _i'll have to make sure lance has somewhere to go while i'm gone, but sure_

**shirogone:**  if he gets upset dont worry about it. i dont want to be the cause of him having another panic attack

**_kmskeith:_ ** _it'll be okay, i'll make sure he's not left alone_

**_kmskeith:_ ** _pidge just said she can come over and hang out with him while me and you get this stuff sorted out. she's got a bunch of studying to do for exams but that's okay. lance still hasnt finished his latin prject so they can do school stuff together_

**shirogone:**  okay, thank you

Keith set his phone down on the kitchen table and continued to eat his breakfast, "You're sure you'll be okay today?"

Lance rolled his eyes, "That's the third time you've asked. Yes, I'll be okay. If Pidge is coming over then I'll be okay."

Keith reached over to hold his hand, "If it gets to be too much tell her, okay? She'll know what to do to help calm you down. If it doesn't get better, have her call me. I'll come straight home."

"Keith, seriously. I can handle it. You're acting as if you're leaving me all by myself. If Pidge is here then there's nothing to worry about," Lance leaned over to kiss him, "I can handle letting Shiro borrow you for a day."

Keith smiled, "Okay. And you better finish that damn project today. It's due tomorrow. I told Pidge to make sure you work on it."

Lance rolled his eyes, "I'm almost done with it, it shouldn't take me longer than an hour or two to finish it."

"An hour or two?" Keith chuckled, "That doesn't sound like you're almost done to me."

Lance shrugged, "Halfway done, then."

Keith stood up, kissed the top of Lance's head, then went to put the dishes in the sink.

They each got themselves ready for the day, Lance decided to do a full face of makeup even though he wasn't going anywhere. He just wanted to feel pretty. Once Keith was ready to go, he gave Lance a kiss goodbye and went on his way. Lance finished up his makeup then went back to the kitchen to do the dishes. Afterward, he sat down at the table to start his project. Pidge would be there any minute.

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

"Dad, I need a ride to Lance's!" Pidge shouted from the bottom of the staircase.

Sam walked out of his office and looked down the stairs at his daughter, "Is he alright?"

Pidge nodded, "Yeah, Keith just has some stuff to do with Shiro today. You know we can't leave Lance alone for more than a half hour without him going into a panic attack. I'm already running a bit late because I had to get all my school stuff together. Keith already left. The clock is ticking!"

Sam nodded, walking down the stairs, "Right, I'm hurrying," he had witnessed one of Lance's panic attacks before and knew how severe they were. He grabbed his keys and they were out the door.

They got in the car and headed towards Lance's apartment, "Keith told me to make sure Lance works on his Latin project today. It's due tomorrow and he's only halfway done. So I'm bringing some school stuff too so we can work on our homework together."

Sam smiled, "That's a good idea. Are you ready for your finals this week?"

Pidge groaned, "God, no. They're stressing me out, I just want to get it over with already. Lucky Lance has a project as his Latin final instead of an exam. Though, his other classes are giving exams."

Sam chuckled, "I'm sure you'll ace it, kiddo. You always do."

"Yeah, and I always stress out about it beforehand. I'm just carrying on the tradition." They both laughed a bit.

"So what subjects are you most worried abou-"

"Dad look out!!"

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

Lance was still sat at his kitchen table, now putting the final touches on his Latin project. He was finished.

Wait, he was finished? But Pidge still hadn't arrived.

He quickly checked his phone, an hour and a half had passed since Keith left and Pidge never showed up. Lance had been so focused on his project he didn't realize the time.

He felt the panic welling up inside of him. What if something happened to her?

He quickly tied calling her, it rang several times before going to voicemail.

He tried again, pacing in his kitchen as it rang. No answer.

He tried a third time. Third time's the charm, right? Nope. Still no answer.

He tried to call Hunk, straight to voicemail. He tried to call Allura, she answered. Thank god.

"Hey, Lance. I'm sort of busy. Hunk and I are-"

Lance didn't let her finish, "Pidge was supposed to be here over an hour ago and now she's not answering the phone and I don't know what to do!"

"Lance, calm down. Are you alone?"

"Yes! Pidge was supposed to be coming over but she didn't! I called her three times!"

Hunk said something to Allura in the background but Lance couldn't hear it.

"Alright, Lance." Allura said, "Hunk and I are coming over. Okay? We'll be there in a bit over 15 minutes."

Lance tried to calm his breathing, "O-Okay.."

"Do you need me to stay on the line until we get there?"

"No, just hurry!" Lance leaned against the wall, unable to stop the oncoming panic attack.

Once Allura hung up, he sunk to the floor and collapsed into a fit of sobs. He hadn't wanted them to hear, that's why he had her hang up. He just sat on the floor sobbing and sobbing, his whole body trembling.

He didn't even hear his phone go off, having received a text from Keith.

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

Keith frowned, sitting in the police station while Shiro finished talking to one of the officers.

Shiro finally finished and walked back to Keith, instantly noticing his upset expression, "What's wrong?"

"I texted Lance to check in, Pidge too. Neither of them answered." he picked at his fingernails, a nervous habit, "It's been about ten minutes."

Shiro frowned, "Head on home, I'm almost done here anyway."

"Are you sure?" Keith stood up.

Shiro nodded, "Yes, go. Lance might need you right now. Go home."

Keith nodded, giving Shiro a quick hug before leaving, getting on his motorcycle and driving home as fast as he could. When he got to the apartment complex he practically ran inside.

He got to his and Lance's apartment and quickly opened the door, it was already unlocked which made Keith worry even more. He saw Lance sat down on the couch, his makeup smeared down his cheeks from crying. He was still crying a bit. Allura had wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and was now holding his hand.

Keith rushed over, "What happened?!"

Lance jumped up to hug Keith tightly, starting to sob again. Keith held him as close as physically possible, running a hand through his hair.

Allura sighed, standing up, "Pidge never arrived. He didn't realize at first because he was so focused on his project, but when he finished and saw the time.. He panicked. He tried calling her three times before calling Hunk and I. We just got here a few minutes ago. We found Lance sobbing like this on the kitchen floor. Luckily you gave each of us an emergency key."

Keith nodded, still doing his best to calm Lance down, "Has anyone been able to get a hold of her?"

Allura shook her head, "We tried calling her the whole ride over here. We tried her parents too, no answer. When we got here, Hunk tried calling Matt. He answered. They're talking in the other room. But Matt is still away for college, I doubt he'll know what happened." they all knew Lance would still have a peaked state of anxiety until he knew she was safe, and they were all worried too.

Hunk came back into the room, "Just got off the phone with Matt, he was freaking about a bit. Apparently, he got a call from his mom a half hour ago. She said Pidge and their dad were in a car accident on the way over here."

"My goodness," Allura gasped slightly, "Are they alright."

"Matt doesn't know, that's why he was freaking out. He's waiting on an update from his mom. All he knows is that they were both taken to the hospital." Hunk sat down, it was clear he was internally freaking out too and just barely managing to keep his composure.

Keith kissed the side of Lance's head, noticing he had stopped crying, "Why don't you go wash your face off baby, you cried so much your cheeks are black with your makeup."

Lance let go, nodding slightly, "O-Okay..." he left the room.

Hunk waited until he heard the bathroom door shut before talking, "This reminds me of when we couldn't get a hold of you and then we found out Mike drove you off the road..."

Keith sighed, "It's not like that, Hunk. They're all in prison. Anna is in for life, and Mike is in for 40 years. It can't be the same as what happened last time. But even I have to admit, it does feel familiar. Me and Lance have been getting strange messages. I keep telling him it's a prank, the last thing I need is him being worried over it. He's already getting more nightmares."

"What did the messages say?" Allura asked.

Keith sat down, "They were in Latin, Lance had to translate them. They were like business cards almost. The first one we each received a copy of at work when were paid. One side said 'keep the change', the other said a storm is coming. I forget the exact word Lance said."

"Whirlwind." Lance said, having just re-entered the room, he looked surprisingly calm, "The second message was taped to our door. The front said 'may hell befall you', the back said, 'we have arrived'."

Keith stood up so Lance could sit where he had been sitting, he sat on the arm of the couch, "I'm sure the cards and Pidge's accident are completely unrelated. We shouldn't worry ourselves about that."

Allura sighed, "Did you tell the police about the cards?"

Keith nodded, "I gave them to Detective Anderson while I was at the station with Shiro today."

"Why were you two at the station?" Hunk asked.

"Shiro is enrolling in the police academy. He got all the paperwork today." Keith shrugged, "It's not that big of a deal."

"What is a big deal is that Pidge is in the hospital and none of us know if she's okay!" Lance snapped at them.

Keith was used to Lance getting like this when his anxiety was heightened, he wrapped his arms around Lance and pulled him closer, "I know, Lancey, we just have to wait until someone updates us.

Lance leaned into Keith, sniffling a bit, "What if Hunk's right, what if it is like last time?"

"You heard that?" Keith sighed, "I already said why it can't be like last time. Those psychotic bitches are in prison. Zack got the shortest sentence and even he's not getting out for another decade. It can't be them. These messages are just a prank. Pidge's accident was just that, an accident. Nobody is after us." He knew it was normal for Lance to assume someone was after him, always thinking there might be someone following him and things like that. It always turned out just to be paranoia, Keith hoped this was the same.

Lance held on to Keith's arm, "But it is exactly like last time. We didn't hear from you for hours, then someone finally tells us you were in the hospital after a motor accident. It's exactly the same."

Allura put a hand on Lance's shoulder, "Those details do match up, but that doesn't mean this situation is the same."

Hunk sat up a bit straighter, "Matt just texted me. Someone had run a red light and t-boned straight into their car. They were hit on the driver's side, then their car spiraled and the passenger side hit another car. Sam is in the ICU in a medically induced coma, he has many injuries. Pidge has a lot of injuries too. Matt doesn't know the specifics yet."

Keith rubbed Lance's back, "See, it was just an accident. A horrible accident. But just an accident."

Lance nodded, "W-We should go to the hospital, we'll get better updates there. It's not like we have anything better to do."

Allura sighed, "He has a point. It's either sit here and worry or go there and worry, and there we can talk to the doctors. We'll probably be updated sooner than Matt is."

Hunk stood up, "I'll drive us."

"Alright," Keith said, standing up with Lance.

The four headed out to Hunk's car. The drive to the hospital was quiet.

Too Quiet.

Lance wasn't panicking anymore, he felt numb. He felt like he wasn't even there; like he was on another plane of existence. Everything around him seemed to be moving in slow motion, any sound seemed muffled. He barely felt when Keith kissed his cheek.

They arrived at the hospital and had to go straight to the waiting room. The doctors couldn't tell them anything about Pidge without Colleen's consent, and she was back with Pidge still. So they had to wait.

Lance felt the same as he felt in the car. Numb, not there. He heard his friends talking but the words didn't process. He didn't know if they were talking to him or each other. And he honestly didn't care. He felt empty. He felt like he was floating in a sea of nothingness.

Keith noticed the state Lance was in, having seen it before.

Hunk looked at Keith with a worried expression, "What's wrong with him?" he whispered.

Keith sighed and held Lance's hand, "He's dissociating, it's happened before. It's common for people with PTSD," Keith put his free hand on Lance's cheek, "Lancey, baby. Come back to me."

Lance blinked a couple times before looking at Keith, "What?"

"You're dissociating again, why don't you go to the bathroom and splash some wet water on your face. That always helps you." Keith ran his hand through Lance's hair, "I can come with you if you want."

Lance shook his head, "N-No.. I got it." He stood up and walked to the bathroom.

Hunk watched him go before looking at Keith, "What was that?"

"Dissociating, he does that in high-stress situations. That or a panic attack," Keith sighed, "You know how you can zone out and totally not hear or really see anything because you're so lost in thought? That's sorta like what it's like but worse. It's his mind's way of protecting him in times of extreme stress, he disconnects from reality for a bit."

Allura frowned, "His expression was so blank, it was like he was sleeping with his eyes open."

Keith nodded, "The first time this happened I didn't know what it was and it really freaked me out. I came home a half hour late and found him like this on the couch. After he snapped out of it he still wasn't fully focused on his surroundings. I had to talk to his therapist about it and she explained what it was and ways to help him when it happens. All it is is his mind protecting his psyche from the stress. But if I'm able to calm him down, to ground him, it stops it from happening. I sat in on a few of his therapy appointments and we learned some grounding techniques."

Hunk nodded, "Splashing water on his face is a grounding technique?"

"Yeah, dissociation can be an out of body experience. It helps him gain awareness of his environment," Keith looked down and picked at his fingernails, "If I had just stayed home today there wouldn't be a high-stress situation for him to block out. I would've been with him, Pidge wouldn't have had to leave. She wouldn't have gotten hurt, he wouldn't have gone into a panic attack. God, I'm so fucking stupid. Why would I leave when I know he's been getting bad lately"

Allura put her hand on Keith's shoulder, "You weren't leaving him alone, you were leaving him with Pidge. It's not your fault she and Sam got in a car accident, it's the fault of the man who ran the red light and hit them. It's not your fault he had a panic attack, he has so many triggers it's impossible to protect him from them all."

Keith smiled at her, "I know... I just get so worried about him.. If something triggers him bad enough he might... God, I don't even like talking about it."

"We all get worried about him," Hunk said, "Every time he insists on going home before you get off work, I feel so stressed out until I know you're home with him. I get so scared that he'll go into a panic attack. And if he did it would've been my fault because I let him go alone. It scares the shit out of me every time."

Keith sighed, "I just get scared because I was reading more about this stuff online to learn more and I saw that some people who dissociate start cutting themselves to escape the numbness and ground themselves. I don't like leaving him alone when he's like this."

"He's never tried to hurt himself like that before, has he?" Allura asked.

"No," Keith said, shaking his head, "But he has tried to kill himself twice. I wouldn't put it past him to do something like that."

"I'm not that stupid," Lance mumbled, coming back from the bathroom.

Keith looked at him as he sat down, "I didn't want you to hear that.."

Hunk smiled and pat Lance's shoulder, "Are you feeling better?"

Lance shrugged, "Still a bit numb..."

Keith held Lance's hand, "Give it a few minutes, it'll wear off."

Then Colleen walked into the waiting room, her eyes were red from crying, "The doctor told me you kids came by.."

Allura stood, "When Matt told us what happened we couldn't just stay home."

Colleen smiled at them, "Katie is okay, she has a mild concussion and a broken arm. But she's going to be okay, she will be able to come home tonight. It's Sam they're worried about. He's in a coma, they saw brain swelling on the scans..."

Allura hugged her, "I'm sure he'll be okay. He's strong."

Colleen sniffled and hugged her back, "Thank you.." she pulled apart from Allura, "You kids should go back home. Katie will be home in a couple hours, and she's only allowed two visitors at a time anyway."

Hunk frowned, "Can I see her real quick before we leave?" he was her boyfriend after all.

Collen smiled, "Sure, but let's keep it brief."

Hunk and Colleen went back to Pidge's room and Allura sat back down next to Lance.

Keith was still holding Lance's hand, "Do you want to see her before we leave?"

Lance shook his head, "I don't want her to see me like this, she'll blame herself. Yeah, I had a panic attack because she never showed up, but it's not her fault she was in a car accident."

Allura sighed, "Apparently it was a three-car collision. Sam's car swerved into a third car after being hit."

"All because some idiot ran a red light..." Lance frowned, "I hope that guy ends up in a coma too, he deserves it. He could've killed someone."

Keith sighed, "Let's not think so negatively. All it will do is upset you more. Let's just be happy that Pidge is okay."

"Right.. Good thoughts." Lance mumbled.

The three waited until Hunk finished with Pidge before leaving. When Keith and Lance got home, Lance went straight to the bedroom to take a nap. Keith let him sleep, tidying up their apartment quietly. He had read a clean environment had positive effects on your mental state. He cleaned a lot. When he was done he checked their mail. And that's when he found another one of those damn cards. Latin phrases written on both sides.

_"diligitis eum?"_

_"quid scis de amore?"_

Keith didn't want to upset ance further, so this time he used his phone to translate it.

_"you love him?"_

_"what do you know about love?"_

Keith hid the card in his wallet. He wasn't going to let Lance see. If this was someone harassing them again, he refused to let Lance know about it. No. He'd handle it himself. Lance had been through enough.

No more. Not again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm setting this up so slowly, I apologize. Shit is gonna hit the fan here soon though. And yeah if you didn't know what disassociating is, now you do. There are different types, but that's what it's like for me when I disassociate. When it comes to depicting that kind of stuff I try to stick to personal experience so it's accurate.
> 
> I haven't been diagnosed with PTSD but my psychiatrist thinks I might have it. I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety, so Lance's symptoms always mirror mine. Keeps things accurate that way. This ain't 13 Reasons Why, I'm educated on mental illness and depict it accurately here. Well as accurate as 19 year old with only personal experience and the internet can make it.


	5. silence before the storm

****** May 6th **

** 9:29 pm **

**katiehatesyou:**  hey guys, sorry you came to the hospital and couldn't see me. i'm home now

**ayellura:**  shiro and i just found out an hour ago, but the others were there

**leggylance:**  we were worried sick! we found out what happened from matt

**shirogone:**  how is your dad

**katiehatesyou:**  not good. but he'll pull through. matt wanted to come home early but mom is making him wait until finals are over at the end of the week

**kmskeith:**  your dad is as strong willed as you are, he'll be fine.

**katiehatesyou:**  yeah i know. i'm not super worried, just moderately worried.

**ayellura:**  where's hunk? you'd think he'd be the first person to reply

**katiehatesyou:**  i just got off the phone with him, he's all caught up and currently taking a shower

**leggylance:**  oh okay. had me worried for a second

**shirogone:**  how are you feeling?

**katiehatesyou:**  honestly i'm a bit high off the pain killers they pumped me full of in the hospital. when i talk it's all slurred together, but my thoughts are coherent.

**kmskeith:**  well at least there's that

**ayellura:**  are you going to be able to come to school tomorrow?

**katiehatesyou:**  yeah I think so. but if i don't show up don't be too worried. mom is trying to convince me to stay home. but i think i'm fine enough for school

**leggylance:**  don't push yourself if you're not ready

**katiehatesyou:**  i'll be fine lance. don't worry ♡

**leggylance:**  if you say so

Keith and Lance put their phones down and Lance cuddled more into Keith's chest, the two of them sitting on the couch watching Queer Eye.

Keith ran his fingers through Lance's hair, "I told you she would be okay."

"I know," Lance nodded, "It's just better to hear it from her."

Keith nodded, "I know what you mean... Let's head to bed, we might be able to see her at school tomorrow."

Lance nodded, grabbing the remote and turning off the tv, "I'm tired. And I know everything Jonathan was saying anyway. He posted about it on twitter, and I already knew."

Keith chuckled, "Your obsession with the fab five worries me."

Lance smiled at him, "Don't worry, you're the only gay I have eyes on," he kissed him softly before getting up and heading to the bedroom.

Keith followed him with a smile.

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**  

** May 7th **

** 10:09 am **

**shirogone:**  have you been on facebook?

**_kmskeith:_ ** _no. i'm in class. why?_

**shirogone:**

**_kmskeith:_ ** _wtf that definitely wasn't me_

**shirogone:**  i figured. change your password asap before they fuck your account up

**_kmskeith:_ ** _already on it. and deleting that post before lance sees. i don't need him knowing these latin pranks have escalated from cards to hacking_

**shirogone:**  i looked up what it said. it says "who do you blame? i blame you." what the literal fuck

**_kmskeith:_ ** _okay so far we've gotten, "a whirlwind is coming", "may hell befall you", "we've arrived", "you love him? what do you know of love?", and now this. we get a new message every day_

**shirogone:** seems like they're directed at you, not him. they hacked your account and the one about love was a question for one person, not two. they're clearly referring to your love for lance when they say "you love him?"

**_kmskeith:_ ** _but we both received identical cards with the first message, not just me_

**shirogone:**  they were probably just trying to work him up too but you're definitely the main target here

**_kmskeith:_ ** _i can't let lance know about any of this. I'm trying to convince him it was just a prank and that it's over_

**shirogone:**  but what if it's not a prank?

**_kmskeith:_ ** _just another reason to make sure lance doesn't know. his ptsd is bad enough as it is, even though he has recovered a lot. if he has to go through another attack i don't think he'll make it through it. this is directed at me, i'll handle it_

**shirogone:** well you don't have to do it alone. I'm here for you. the others too. and I'll help you shield lance from it. you're right. his mental state can't take another hit

**_kmskeith:_ ** _thank you_

**shirogone:**  what kind of brother would i be if i let you go through this alone? I wasn't really around to help you guys when anna was a threat, i didn't really know lance yet. but i'm here now and i won't let anyone hurt either of you. we'll figure out who's doing this and stop it before it escalates

**_kmskeith:_ ** _i'm going to see detective anderson after school to tell him what's happening. the best piece of leverage anna had was that lance didn't tell anyone about her until it was too late. i'm not going to make the same mistake._

**shirogone:**  i'll go with you. we can tell lance we're handling more stuff with me joining the police academy

**_kmskeith:_ ** _that's a great cover. thank you. let's go straight after school. i don't have work today_

**shirogone:**  okay, i'll text my dad and let him know.

**_kmskeith:_ ** _i'll text lance real quick too_

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

**_kmskeith:_ ** _hey babe. i'm going to the police station with shiro after school. more police acadamy stuff. i promised i'd help him get enrolled. it's confusing and he doesn't want to stress his dad out with it_

**leggylance:** okay, i think i'm gonna ask allura to hang out while you're with shiro. i haven't hung out with her in a while

**_kmskeith:_ ** _sounds perfect. i'll see you at lunch_

**_*switching gears here, time for the b plot*_ **

** 11:34 am **

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _meet me in the av room for lunch, i need to talk to you about something_

**hunkinthetrunk:**  okay

Hunk headed towards the AV room after the lunch bell rang. He walked in to see Pidge struggling to tape some wires, her arm cast making it quite difficult.

"Let me help you," he walked over and took the tape from her, "I know how to do this."

She sighed, stepping aside, "Thank you."

"So what did you want to talk about?" he asked without looking up.

Pidge hesitated, "Well, we've been dancing around this subject for a while..."

Hunk sighed, setting the tape down and looking at her, "Me going off to college, right?"

Pidge nodded, looking down and fidgeting, "I don't want to hold you back. If you want to go to culinary school, then go to culinary school. Even if it's in Boulder County."

"Even if it's an hour and a half away?"

Pidge nodded, "Yeah. McAlister's Deli isn't enough for you. You have so much potential. Escoffier is the best school for you."

Hunk leaned against the table, "We're just repeating everything we said last time we talked about this."

"Yeah but last time we agreed to try long distance," she refused to look up, "But I don't think that'll work."

Hunk looked down now, "Oh..."

Pidge looked up, "I know we said we'd be able to see each other on weekends but I don't think we can. You already know I'm doing the Summer Science Program at Dynatech, but it might be more than that. Since dad works there and Matt did so well during his time at SSP, if I do well I might get an actual internship. Which means I'll be at Dynatech on the weekends once school starts. While managing all my AP classes. I'd be able to quit my job at the bakery because it would be a paid internship. It's just too good of an opportunity to pass up."

Hunk nodded, "Yeah, I get it. Getting an actual internship there could be a backdoor to a great job in the future. It makes sense..."

Pidge sighed, "You want to follow your dreams and I want to follow mine. But they're leading us in completely opposite directions."

Hunk nodded, "You're right. So I guess that's what you wanted to talk about. We should just do what Shiro and Allura did, break up now to avoid putting off the inevitable..."

"It's for the best, Hunk," she looked down again, "It's not that I don't love you anymore. It's just that it would hurt more if we kept going knowing it would end in just a few months. And we might've ended on worse terms. At least this way we can still be friends."

Hunk nodded, "Yeah, friends.." he backed up a bit.

Pidge looked up, "You don't have to leave."

"But I think I should," Hunk turned around, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Pidge sat down, biting her lip before starting to cry.

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**  

After school, Keith and Shiro made their way to the police department. They were quickly able to take a seat at Detective Anderson's desk.

"So what brings you boys in today?"

Keith handed him the most recent card he recieved, "I got another card, and someone hacked my Facebook account," he pulled up the screenshot on his phone and showed it to him.

Anderson looked them both over, "Has Lance translated them yet or do I need to do it on my computer?"

Keith shook his head, "I don't want Lance to know it's continuing. He doesn't know about either of these. I don't want to trigger him, he's been having more nightmares lately and yesterday he had one of the worst panic attacks I've seen in a long time. He doesn't need this added to his list of worries."

"We did translate them on our phones though," Shiro said, "The Facebook post says 'Who do you blame? I blame you'."

"And the card says 'You love him? What do you know of love?'." Keith said, "We don't think these are pranks and we think they're targeting me specifically."

Anderson nodded, "Hold on," he turned to the other cops, "Williams! Where are ya kid!"

A young cop with brown hair and glasses came running over, "Yes, sir?"

Anderson looked back at Shiro and Keith, "Boys, this is Deputy Adam Williams. He's fresh out of the academy and I've been training him. He wants to handle cases like yours. He's been studying your case and shadowing me as I look into these new threats."

Shiro waved at him, "Um, hi..."

Keith chuckled, only two people knew Shiro was bi and Keith was one of them, "Nice to meet you, Deputy Williams."

Adam smiled, blushing a bit, "Just Adam is fine."

Anderson looked back at him, "You know how to track IP addresses, right? Keith's account was hacked by whoever has been leaving the messages and left a post."

Keith spoke, "I've already deleted the post. I didn't want Lance to see it."

Adam sighed, "If he deleted the post then there isn't anything to track. If they hack and post again just change the privacy of the post to private so only you can see it. Then I'll be able to track them down."

Keith nodded, "I'll keep that in mind," he sighed, "Is there anything we can do about it right now? I know there's not a lot to go on."

"I'm afraid not, kid," Anderson said, "Whoever left the first to cards didn't leave any fingerprints or any other forms of DNA evidence. We'll analyze this new card but if they were that thorough the first two times I doubt we'll find anything this time. We have no leads. But trust me, I will look into this as actual threats. If your gut says it's not a prank then I believe you."

Keith sighed, "Well if anything else happens I'll be sure to let you know right away."

Anderson nodded before looking back at Adam, "Takashi here is about to enroll in the academy, any tips for him."

Shiro blushed, "It's Shiro, actually. Takashi Shirogane is my full name but everyone calls me Shiro."

Adam nodded, "Well, Shiro, the biggest piece of advice I can give is to never question your superiors while in the academy. Some of them can be tough and take offense by it, plus they know way better than you do. Once you're on the force it's okay to bring up different opinions, but in the academy what the instructor says goes."

Shiro nodded, "I'll keep that in mind."

Adam smiled, both blushing.

Keith rolled his eyes, "Anyway, we should get going. Lance is with Allura and I want to make sure I'm out of here in time to pick him up."

Shiro nodded, "Yeah I should get home too..."

They quickly left the station. The moment they were out the door Keith started laughing, "You totally had eyes on that deputy."

Shiro blushed, "Did not!"

"Did too!" Keith laughed, "It's okay because he had eyes on you too," Keith smirked.

Shiro lightly shoved Keith, "Shut up."

Keith kept laughing, "Okay, okay. I surrender."

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

"I win!" Lance shouted after beating Allura in Mario cart for the third time.

Allura groaned and leaned back in the couch, setting her controller down, "You are undefeatable, Lance. I give up!"

He laughed and leaned back with her, "About time someone admitted how amazing I am."

She smiled at him, "You are truly amazing," she held his hand.

He looked at their hands and frowned, "I'm going to miss you when you move."

She sighed, "I'm going to miss you too."

"How are you handling the whole Shiro situation?" he asked her.

She shrugged, "It hurts, but it's the best decision for both of us. He can't move all the way to Boston with me, he'd never leave his father like that. And I can't stay here. I have to get my degree in business so I can carry on my father's legacy."

Lance frowned, "Are you going to be moving to New York after you graduate? That's where the company headquarters is..."

"Yes.. The only reason I moved down here after father died was that Coran had moved here a year before with his fiance, who ended up leaving him in the end. That man was an ass from the start, but that's irrelevant. Coran is my godfather so I had to move where he was," she looked down, "I hate that I'm going to have to lose all of you..."

Lance lifted her chin up with his hand, "Hey, you're not going to lose us. You may be far away, but you'll always be in our hearts. And our phones," he laughed.

She laughed too, "Thank god for technology."

He pulled her into a hug, "I'll call you every day if I have to, I'm not going to let us drift apart."

She hugged back with a smile, "At least we have the summer together."

Lance nodded as they pulled apart, "We're going to make this the best summer ever. I sorta spent last summer hiding in my bedroom trying everything in my power to get a hold of my shitty boyfriend."

She held his hand again, "But then you met Keith."

Lance frowned, "And then I met Anna."

"Forget Anna, she's out of your life forever. Life in prison. Remember?"

Lance nodded, "Yeah, you're right. Keith always tells me I need to stop dwelling on bad things."

"Keith is right," she put her hand on his cheek, "You're a survivor. She may have failed at taking your life away literally, but if you don't move on then she's taken your life figuratively. So keep fighting to move on, whatever it takes."

Lance smiled at her, "I don't know what I would do without you guys."

"Don't worry about what you'd do without us because we'll always be here for you, always."

Lance smiled but then his phone went off, he checked it.

**_kmskeith:_ ** _hey lancey. just left the police station. i'm stopping to get us dinner. do you want me to come get you before or after?_

Lance looked at Allura, "Keith wants to know if he should get me now or after he gets dinner."

"Let him get you now, I'm sure Coran is almost done cooking dinner now anyway." Allura smiled.

Lance nodded before texting back.

**leggylance:**  i'm good to go now

Allura and Lance continued to chat as Keith made his way over. Once home the two ate dinner before watching some more Queer Eye on the couch. They were happy.

They had no idea what was coming.

The whirlwind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and it's over. took me forever to pump this chapter out. i wrote the whole thing in one day though! crazy how the creative process works. anyway. pidge is okay. hidge has sunk. hunk probably isn't okay. shiro is in the closet but has a new crush. the latin messages are escalating. a lot has been covered this chapter. but the reveal of who is doing this comes next chapter >:) it will bring up a lot of questions. i hope you guys are excited.


	6. hell has arrived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s a lot of Spanish near the end. Putting translations in the notes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Mentí - I lied  
> Joder, ¿no lo entiendes? - Fuck, do not you understand?  
> ¡Mi familia! - My family!  
> un puto ataque de pánico! - a fucking panic attack!  
> ¡No es nada nuevo! - It's nothing new!  
> ¡Ni una sola mentira! - Not a single lie!  
> ¡Solo yo siendo el idiota que soy! - Only me being the idiot that I am!

"Finally! No more work!" Lance said as he sat down at the lunch table with his friends.

Shiro smiled, "All grades for seniors have to be in by tonight, I'm surprised your Latin teacher gave you an extension on that project through the weekend."

Lance shrugged, "Perks of being top of the class, Pidge gets it."

Pidge chuckled, "Yeah but I turn my shit in on time."

Lance stuck his tongue out at her, "Well at least my last day in this hell hole is tomorrow, you got a whole week left. And then all of next year. Perks of being a senior."

Pidge groaned, "God I have finals on Friday and I'm gonna have to suffer here alone."

Allura pat her shoulder, "You can text us when you're not in class."

"Is your super secret AV project ready yet?" Keith asked, "You only have one week left to work on it."

Pidge nodded, "Yep! I'll be unveiling it tomorrow. I started working on it in August. It's taken a lot of work."

"Sounds like it," Hunk said.

"Yeah, I started the plans for it over the summer. Spent the first week of school begging Mr Clark to help fund me building it. Then I began construction and programming."

"Give us a hint to what it is?" Lance asked.

Pidge shook her head, "Nope, you'll get to see it tomorrow."

Lance sighed, "Fine, whatever," he crossed his arms, then looked at Keith, "Who are you texting?"

Keith had been so absorbed in his phone that Lance's question caught him off guard, "What? Nobody! Why do you care? I can text who I want!"

Lance put his hands up, "Geez, sorry I asked!"

Hunk whispered to Allura, but everyone heard it anyway, "Are they about to fight?"

Keith looked at Hunk, "No!" he noticed everyone was staring at him because he was acting strangely, "Whatever! I have to go!" He grabbed his bag and stormed off.

Lance watched him leave before turning back to his friends, "I'll let him cool down before I ask what that was about."

Shiro nodded, "Always gotta let Keith have his space when he's mad, learned that the hard way."

Allura frowned, "Whoever he was texting must have upset him."

"That's if he was even texting," Lance said, "I didn't see his screen, I just assumed. It could've been a post or something."

"A post?" Shiro asked, worried Lance might have found out about the post from yesterday.

"Yeah. A post. Is that so weird?" Lance raised an eyebrow, he had no idea.

Shiro shrugged, "I guess not."

Meanwhile, Keith was in the empty chemistry classroom. Sitting on the floor and texting someone who was way too much like Anna. But this time their identity was no secret.

**_*I'm gonna rewind a bit so you can see all the texts*_ **

**mortemsirenis:**  we know what you did

**_kmskeith:_ ** _who the fuck is this?_

**mortemsirenis:**  you know us. all three of us.

**_kmskeith:_ ** _i translated your username. death of a siren? what's that supposed to mean?_

**mortemsirenis:**  don't you remember? the siren you helped us kill?

**_kmskeith:_ ** _wtf are you talking about?_

**mortemsirenis:**  let me correct my spelling. the cyrin you helped us kill

**_*at this point keith is running out of the cafeteria*_ **

**_kmskeith:_ ** _how the fuck did you find me?_

**mortemsirenis:**  it was easy. you may have blocked us on all platforms, but when we log out we can still find your profiles. your posts are private but your facebook still shows the town you live in to the public. we came and looked for you, we found you out on a date with that puta boyfriend of yours

**_kmskeith:_ ** _leave him out of this. you have no idea what he's been through_

**mortemsirenis:**  we know exactly what happened to him. that crazy annabella and her boyfriend did quite a number on him. she did exactly to him what we did to cyrin

**_kmskeith:_ ** _that was no where near the same and you fucking know it. who am i talking to right now? cleo? you'd be so cruel to fuck with us like this. if any of you come anywhere near lance i'll kill you_

**mortemsirenis:**  just like we did to cyrin. we all killed him and you were the only one who got away with it. that's just not fair.

**_kmskeith:_ ** _that's what this is? you're pissed that i only got expelled and relocated to a new foster home while you guys got sued? i separated myself from you long before he died, that's why i didn't get in the same amount of trouble. so grow the fuck up_

**mortemsirenis:**  you killed him too and you know it. we know it. millie knows it. the letty's know it. everyone but your new little friends

**_kmskeith:_ ** _don't go anywhere near my friends_

**_kmskeith:_ ** _hello??_

**_kmskeith:_ ** _go anywhere near them and I'll fucking kill you_

It wasn't until after school that Lance finally found Keith, outside sitting on the bench. He sat down next to him, "So are you going to tell me what happened at lunch?"

Keith shook his head, "It's better if you don't know..."

Lance looked at him, "You can't protect me from everything. I hate it when you guys treat me like I'm made of glass. Just fucking tell me. I can handle it."

Keith sighed, not wanting to upset Lance, "It's nothing serious, Lance. I promise. It's just some kids from one of my old schools reached out to me and they're people I'd rather leave in the past."

Lance frowned, but didn't push him further, "Okay..."

They were silent for a few minutes.

Then Lance spoke again, "Does this have anything to do with those two cards we got?"

Keith shook his head, "No, those were just pranks. Detective Anderson looked into it, they're just pranks. It's not the first time someone has tried to screw with us since they found out what happened to you. The timing is completely coincidental."

Lance looked down, swinging one of his legs, the sole of his shoe scraping against the ground, "It also wouldn't be the first time you've lied about stuff to try to protect me. I'm not some fragile porcelain doll. You all walk on eggshells around me. I can handle it."

Keith looked at him, "Lance, two days ago I came home to you sobbing and hyperventilating because you were alone too long. You can't handle a lot of things. You have PTSD, you have to come to terms with that. There's a lot I have to protect you from so you won't be triggered into a panic attack or worse. Since I've met you, you've tried to commit suicide twice. You have nightmares all the time because of what happened. I think I should be allowed to lie from time to time to try to prevent all that from worsening."

"Yeah, whatever. Lie about whatever you want," Lance stood up and started to walk off.

Keith sighed and stood up to follow him, "Lance, wait." he grabbed Lance's arm.

Lance turned to face him, "What? Are you going to tell me what's really going on?"

"I can't! And who are you to chastise me about lying to protect someone? When Anna was practically torturing you, you lied about it to protect all of us. So get off your high horse!" Keith snapped, but immediately regretted it when he saw the look on Lance's face.

Lance pulled his arm away, "Fine, you're right. I did lie. I lied because that psychotic bitch was in your fucking bedroom sending me pictures of you sleeping, threatening to kill you if I didn't do what she wanted! I lied to save your lives! Remember what happened when I finally told the truth? You got run off the road and Pidge and I got kidnapped!" he held up his hands, showing his scars, "She was going to kill us all! All our friends! My family! There is a huge difference between lying to save someone's life and lying because you don't want someone to have a panic attack! I have panic attacks all the fucking time! I'll pull through and we'll figure out and work through whatever triggered me. It's nothing new! So just fucking tell me what's going on and I'll suck it up and push through whatever anxiety it causes and we'll figure it out together. Because that's what boyfriend's do! They work through it together! And just for the record, I haven't lied about anything since Anna! Because I know how dangerous a lie can be!"

"Bull fucking shit!" they were in a screaming match at this point and people were starting to stare, "Every time I ask you how you're doing you say you're fine! But a few months ago I came home to you trying to down a bottle of ibuprofen! Just hours earlier you told me you were fine! That's how fucking dangerous a lie can be!"

"Fine! I did lie that day! But I swore to you after that I would always be honest with how I was feeling, and I have. I always tell you when I'm getting bad! Sometimes I think I'm fine but I'm not! That's not lying to you, that's just my dumb self being in denial! Once I'm able to admit it to myself, I tell you! I always have!" Lance was starting to cry.

Keith was too hotheaded to calm down, "You're always bad! You're always having a panic attack, or crying, or having a nightmare! Is it so wrong of me to want to keep some secrets to try to help you recover? I'm just trying to protect you!"

Lance's breathing was starting to pick up, "Fine! Keep your fucking secrets! I d-don't fucking care.."

Keith finally realized Lance was starting to have a panic attack, and it was all his fault this time. He grabbed Lance's hand, "Lance-"

"No!" Lance yanked his hand away, "D-Don't.. Don't fucking touch me."

Their friends worked their way through the crowd, "What's going on?" Shiro shouted.

Lance was starting to hyperventilate, backing away from Keith. Allura rushed to his side, "Lance, calm down," she started to talk him through it.

The others looked at Keith for an answer, "W-We got in a fight. And it was all my fault. I was yelling at him, he was yelling at me. And now.." he looked at Lance, who was now just sobbing instead hyperventilating, "I'm sorry..." he ran the opposite direction, pushing past the students who had been watching.

Shiro tried to go after him, but Keith got to his motorcycle and started driving off before Shiro could catch up, he didn't even stop to put on his helmet. So Shiro just grabbed Keith's backpack that had been left behind and tried to get rid of the crowd, "Get out of here! There's nothing to see! Go get a fucking life!"

Allura and Pidge had sat Lance down and were talking to him softly to calm him down, Allura running her hand through Lance's hair.

Lance kept crying, leaning his head against Allura's shoulder, "H-He was lying, and I c-called him out. And he c-called me out on lying. A-And..."

Pidge shushed him, "You don't have to tell us. Just try to calm down. Remember that breathing exercise? Breathe in four seconds, hold it four seconds, breathe out four seconds." She started to count for him as he did it until he stopped crying.

Allura smiled, "Hunk was just about to take me home. Do you want to come with us?" she knew it was best he went home with one of them.

Lance nodded, "Y-Yeah.."

Allura helped him stand up and they headed to the car with Hunk.

Hunk unlocked the car and opened the door for Lance, "We don't have to talk about it unless you want to."

Lance sat down and buckled up, "I don't want to talk about it..."

Allura smiled and sat next to him, after she buckled up she held his hand, "Why don't we hang out in my basement and watch some movies? Your pick."

Hunk got in front and started driving. Lance looked at Allura, "Mary and The Witch's Flower?"

Allura nodded, "I've never heard of it but I'm sure it's great."

"It's an anime movie, it's really cute. It's like a studio ghibli movie but it's not made by them."

"Whatever it is, we can watch it," Allura kissed his cheek, "Whatever you want."

Lance leaned his head on her shoulder again, "This feels wrong..."

"What does, buddy?" Hunk asked.

Lance frowned, "Not being with Keith after a panic attack... Purposefully staying away from him..."

Allura sighed, "Have you two never fought before?"

Lance shook his head, "Of course we've fought before. Just... Never this bad."

Hunk frowned, looking at him through the rearview mirror, "It'll all work out. We just need to let Keith have his space, just like Shiro said at lunch. Once you've both calmed down you can work it out."

Lance nodded, "Yeah... You're right."

Allura ran her hand through his hair, "It'll all be okay."

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

Shiro pulled into the parking lot of the shitty little park where Lance and Keith have had two of their dates. He parked his SUV next to Keith's motorcycle before walking over to the gazebo, where Keith was sitting, "There you are, I've been looking all over town for you. What are you doing here?"

Keith shrugged, looking down, "I wanted to be alone... This is where I asked him to be my boyfriend."

Shiro nodded, sitting down next to him. It was silent a bit until Shiro spoke, "I have your backpack in my car."

Keith chuckled, "Not on my list of priorities right now but thanks."

Shiro sighed, "Whatever it was you guys were fighting about, he'll forgive you."

"I made him have a panic attack because I don't know when to fucking quit..." Keith frowned, "When I first snapped... The look on his face... I should've stopped there. But he snapped back, which led to the big fight..."

Shiro shrugged, "He's been through worse than a fight with his boyfriend. If he can push through all that then he can push through this. You're truly sorry. He'll forgive you. Now you just have to forgive yourself."

Keith looked at him, "The whole fight was about me lying to protect him from panic attacks, and all I managed to do was trigger him into a fucking panic attack. And he's right. I do lie to him. All the time. He still thinks we only got the two cards. I told him it was a prank, that it's over now. But it's just getting worse. I'm not going to be able to protect him from everything. I keep trying, but all it's doing is hurting him and our relationship."

"You're lying because you love him," Shiro said, "But maybe start opening up more about some things. You're right. He does need to be protected from things you know will trigger him. But you've got to find a middle ground. He'll never recover if he doesn't face his triggers and find a way past them. Keep him away from the big triggers, but the small ones maybe you should let him face."

Keith sighed, "You're right. I'm just being overprotective..."

Shiro smiled at him, "You always have been. But after what we had to watch him go through... I don't blame you. But now it's time to stand back and let him walk on his own, you can't be his crutch forever. But you can be there to catch him when he falls."

Keith nodded, "You're right... I'll tell him about the third card and the post. I'll tell him they're directed at me. I'll see how he handles it then go from there."

"Sounds like an excellent idea," Shiro stood up, "You should head on home, Lance will come home when he's ready and you should be there when he does."

Keith stood up too, "Okay. Thank you."

Shiro messed up Keith's hair, "Anytime, now get going."

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

** 7:19 pm **

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _are you feeling better?_

**leggylance:**  yeah, but I'm spending the night at lura's

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _have you told keith that?_

**leggylance:**  no. i dont want to talk to him

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _i'll tell him. he'll flip out if you don't come home and he doesn't know where you are_

**leggylance:**  let him flip out

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _you're really that mad at him huh_

**leggylance:**  i will be until he stops lying to me

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _well want to talk about something besides your lying boyfriend?_

**leggylance:**  yes. anything but him

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _you know how i broke up with hunk, right?_

**leggylance:**  uh yeah? you told me yesterday

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _and you know the saying that after a breakup a girl should change her hair? it's stupid and helps nothing. but you know the saying right?_

**leggylance:**  what are you getting at?

**_katiehatesyou:_ **

**leggylance:**  YOU CUT ALL YOUR HAIR OFF??

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _NOT ALL OF IT_

**leggylance:** OMFG how did your mom react???

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _she was shocked to say the least. she's not mad tho_

**leggylance:**  well that's good!

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _yeah i was scared she'd murder me_

**leggylance:**  i just showed allura, she likes it

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _i like it too_

**leggylance:** you better because youre going to be stuck with it for a while

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _it'll grow back eventually, don't worry_

**leggylance:**  tomorrow you'll have to unveil your new project and your new hair lol

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _right, the project. i was studying so much tonight i nearly forgot_

**leggylance:**  well clearly you took a break to chop your hair off

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _yeah whatever. i've got to get back to studying. i'm really worried about my calc final_

**leggylance:**  you're going to ace it. but study away if you must. see you tomorrw

 ** _katiehatesyou:_** _goodnight lance_ ♡

(2982 words)

**_*i wrote this entire chapter in one day too oof. but yeah, keit_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this entire chapter in one day too oof. but yeah, Keith knows who's been harassing them but he's keeping it a secret from everyone. it all has to do with a boy named Cyrin he used to go to school with. all will be revealed soon.


	7. a siren drowned

** May 9th **

** 7:26 am **

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _text your fucking boyfriend back. he's blowing me up_

**leggylance:**  i don't care

**_katiehatesyou:_ **

 

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _do it for me. he won't give up until you talk to him. which means he won't stop texting me until you talk to him_

**leggylance:**  ugh fine. only for you

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _thank you!_

**_*switching to texts with keith*_ **

**leggylance:**  let me make one thing very clear. i'm only texting you back because pidge begged me to so you would leave her alone.

**_kmskeith:_ ** _so will you meet me before school?_

**leggylance:**  only if you are serious about telling me everything

**_kmskeith:_ ** _cross my heart and hope to die, if i'm lying stick a needle in my eye_

**leggylance:**  don't tempt me

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

Lance walked up to the bench Keith was sitting on, the same place they had fought the day before, "If you don't tell me I really will stick a needle in your eye."

Keith looked up at him with a frown, "Sit down."

Lance sat down next to him, "So, what is going on?"

Keith handed Lance his phone to show him the screenshot of the post that had been made when his account was hacked, "This happened two days ago, I deleted it before you could see it."

"Who do you blame? I blame you," Lance read it out loud before handing Keith his phone back.

"Yeah," Keith put his phone back in his pocket, "And the day before that we got a third card. This time with our mail. It said "You love him? What do you know of love?". I've already given in to Detective Anderson."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Lance crossed his arms, "Look, I'm not even the slightest bit anxious right now."

Keith sighed, "Because these definitely aren't pranks. I didn't know if you'd be able to recover from a second attack. Besides, they're directed at me specifically. I wanted to leave you out of it."

Lance's arms fell, "Oh..."

Keith nodded, "Yeah... Whoever is doing this is harassing  _me_ , not us."

"Does it have anything to do with why you ran out of the lunchroom yesterday?"

"No," Keith lied. He knew the person he was talking to the day before was the one doing everything else, "I was only so freaked out because it was someone I hadn't thought about in a very long time... My ex... He just... He wasn't good to me. He got me roped into some very bad things. He never hit me or anything like that, but he wasn't good to me," he wasn't lying about that.

Lance nodded, "That's why you said it was someone you'd rather leave in the past..." he reached over and held Keith's hand, "Zack never hit me either, but that doesn't mean he wasn't abusive towards me. Don't devalidate what this guy did to you just because he never hit you."

Keith chuckled a bit, "That's not a word, but thank you."

Lance frowned, "I'm serious Keith, real word or not. People can abuse you in many more ways than hitting you."

Keith sighed, "I wouldn't call Carson abusive. More of a bad influence and shitty boyfriend. And he was very manipulative. He was more so someone I had sex with than an actual boyfriend... I was already drinking when I got placed in the new foster home that got me enrolled in his school. But he and his friends, Cleo and Seamus, got me into drugs... I told you my coping mechanisms in the past weren't exactly healthy, but I got clean at my next foster home. Anyway, things started to get really bad. I don't want to go into detail... It was just  _really_  bad, and I separated myself from them. When I did, Carson freaked out. We got in this big fight, we were both drunk. I said some pretty nasty things and he  _tried_  to hit me, but I dodged it. I had gotten pretty good at it after dealing with my dad beating me up for the first 13 years of my life. After he tried to hit me I never spoke to them again. Not long after, I got sent to a different foster home. I thought they were behind me forever. But when I got those messages yesterday... I freaked out," He didn't lie, but he didn't tell the whole truth.

Lance sighed and pulled Keith into a hug, "I would've freaked out too. And I understand why you didn't want to tell me about him, bad memories are hard to talk about."

Keith hugged him back tightly, "All I care about right now is that you're not mad at me anymore."

" _Mi amor por ti es mayor que las estrellas,_ " Lance pulled away just enough to kiss him, "I could never stay mad at you. No matter how much you piss me off."

Keith smiled, "I love you."

"I love you too," Lance kept hugging him, nuzzling his head into Keith's neck.

Keith sighed, feeling glad he had told Lance some of it, but guilty because he didn't tell him the rest. He let Lance go, "Let's get inside. It's our last day of high school. Let's make the most of it."

Lance smiled, nodding, "We finally get to see Pidge's project, and you guys get to see her new hair."

Keith looked confused, "Her new hair?"

"Yeah, she cut her hair last night. It's really short but she likes it," Lance shrugged.

Keith chuckled, "Did she do it herself or did she go get it cut?"

"She did it herself, most likely very impulsively due to all the stress going around," Lance sighed.

The warning bell rang, they heard it from where they sat but it was very muffled.

Keith held Lance's hand, "I'll walk you to homeroom."

Lance smiled, "Okay."

The two grabbed their bags and walked into the school building, hand in hand.

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

** 11:58 am **

**leggylance:**  where are you?

**_kmskeith:_ ** _i'll be there in a minute, just got held up_

**leggylance:**  okay, we're eating lunch outside today

**_kmskeith:_ ** _i left my textbook in my last class, i'll be there after i get it and put it in my locker_

**leggylance:**  okay ♡

Keith set his phone on the top shelf of his locker as he looked inside a paper bag, someone had broken into his locker and left it. Inside was nothing but pills, a variety of them. And another card.

_ad te quoque reprehendo_

_nunc reddere pretium_

Keith quickly grabbed his phone to translate both sides of the card.

_you are also to blame_

_now pay the price_

Keith ran to the nearest trashcan in a panic and threw the bag away, his breathing heavy. He began to understand how Lance felt before a panic attack. He did one of the breathing exercises he'd walked Lance through so many times to calm himself down. Once he was calm he walked back to his locker, closed it, and made his way to the cafeteria to meet his friends.

He got himself some food before walking to where they sat outside, sitting next to Lance, "Sorry I'm late."

Lance smiled, "It's okay," he took a piece of food off Keith's tray and giggled a bit.

Keith chuckled and kissed his cheek.

Pidge threw a tater tot at them, "Get a room."

Lance laughed and turned back to his food, continuing to eat.

Keith smiled, pretending everything was fine.

Once everyone was done eating, Pidge stood up, "Okay, who wants to see my project? We have 15 minutes until the bell rings."

Everyone smiled, Lance stood up, "Lead the way, m'lady."

Pidge giggled and grabbed Lance's hand, leading everyone to the AV room. On the main table, there was an object covered by a tarp. She walked up to it, "Okay, it won't look like much until I turn it on," she pulled the tarp off, revealing a pyramid shaped object, "I call it Rover," She lifted the back panel, flipped a switch, then put the panel back in place. The object lit up and started flying.

"Woah! How did you get it to fly like that?" Lance asked.

Pidge shrugged, "Several months of studying aerodynamics."

"Aerowhatics?" Keith asked.

Pidge chuckled, "The study of how air moves and how you can use it to make things fly."

Lance nodded, looking it over. He saw the three little mechanical propellors on the bottom causing it to fly, "That's so cool."

"What does it do, exactly?" Shiro asked.

Pidge sighed, "Well, right now it only flies. I haven't added any additional programming yet. But I'll be able to do that from my laptop. When it's finished, it'll assist me in collecting and storing information."

Hunk chuckled, "It'll help you in hacking, you mean."

Pidge shrugged, "You can call it that."

Allura smiled, "I think that it's amazing"

"Thank you," Pidge opened the panel again to shut Rover off, the propellors slowing down for a smooth landing back on the table.

The bell rang and they all groaned, none of them wanted to go back to class. None of them had their next class together.

So they all grabbed their bags and headed their separate ways. It was halfway through the class that Keith got another message

** 1:24 pm **

**mortemsirenis:**  i feel a bit bad for you, you always complained about how history class was such a bore. but at least you have that little gift we left for you.

**_kmskeith:_ ** _how the fuck do you know my schedule? and my locker number?_

**mortemsirenis:**  i guess you forgot how good Seamus is at hacking. he got into the school's system and got your schedule and locker number. we waited until you were in a class on the other side of the school before having Carson break into your locker and leave you that little surprise. don't you remember how we would always break into abandoned buildings and party?

**_kmskeith:_ ** _i'm not that person anymore. i'm clean._

**mortemsirenis:**  do your friends know about who you used to be? does lance?

**_kmskeith:_ ** _lance does know actually. i told him about the drinking and the drugs this morning_

**mortemsirenis:**  but did you tell him what other dirty deeds you took part in? don't deny it. you played just as big of a role as we did. even if you did leave us before the grand finale

**_kmskeith:_ ** _you call his death the grand finale? that's really fucked up. just proves what kind of people you are._

**mortemsirenis:**  you used to be one of us keith. don't forget that

Keith powered his phone off and put it back in his bag, biting his lip. He knew these three were loose canons and what they did next was impossible to predict. He had no idea they had already made their next move. And he wouldn't find out until he turned his phone back on.

** 2:13 pm **

**ayellura:** have you guys seen this yet??

**ayellura:**

 

 **katiehatesyou:**  yeah! I just finished reading the article. why the hell would someone tag us in this shit???

 **hunkinthetrunk:**  the article is a couple years old too. that's weird as hell

 **shirogone:**  what does the article say?

 **katiehatesyou:**  apparently this kid Cyrin killed himself a couple years ago because 4 kids were bullying him

 **ayellura:**  3 of the kids, Cleo, Seamus, and Carter, ended up going to juvy for 1 year after his family took them to court. The 4th kid is unnamed. apparently he separated himself from the group when the bullying became physical. he was just expelled and sent to a different foster home

 **leggylance:**  keith isnt tagged...

 **hunkinthetrunk:**  that's weird. i didn't notice that. where is keith anyway?? he always answers the group chat

 **leggylance:**  guys i really want to be wrong about this

 **shirogone:**  wrong about what???

 **leggylance:**  i think keith is that 4th kid

 **ayellura:**  what?? that's insane!

 **hunkinthetrunk:**  how could you think keith could do something like that?? i get you guys are fighting but still!

 **leggylance:**  we're not fighting anymore. we made up when he told me why he ran out at lunch yesterday. two of his old friends and his ex had reached out to him and he freaked out because he "wanted to leave them in the past". cleo, seamus, and carter

 **katiehatesyou:**  the same kids from the article...

 **leggylance:** he said things had started to get really bad, he didn't want to get into detail and i didn't push him to. but he said he broke up with carter because of it and stopped talking to them. he was soon after moved to a new foster home

 **shirogone:**  the keith i know wouldn't bully a kid until they commited suicide

 **leggylance:**  the keith you know isn't drinking and on drugs. he told me those three got him into drugs and he got clean at his next foster home. and if he is the 4th kid, the article said he separated himself when the bullying got physical. that's probably when he got in a fight with carter and broke up with him. when things got "really bad"

 **hunkinthetrunk:**  if they could get him into drugs they probably could've gotten him into other stuff too...

 **katiehatesyou:**  like verbally bullying someone...

 **leggylance:**  there's more than that. anybody notice how the username of who tagged us in that is in latin? mortemsirenis. death of a siren. i think whoever tagged us in this is the same person who has been leaving those cards and hacked keith's facebook. it's probably cleo, seamus, and carson behind it all. keith did said they reached out to him

 **ayellura:**  this is a lot to take in...

 **kmskeith:** guys... i didn't want you to find out... especially not like this...

 **shirogone:**  so it's all true?

 **kmskeith:**  yes.

 **leggylance:**  we have a lot to talk about

 **kmskeith:**  can we all meet up after school? i'll tell you guys everything you want to know

 **ayellura:**  we can all meet up at my place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliff hanger, didn't want to reveal too much in one chapter. Keith will spill all the tea at the very beginning of the next chapter in two weeks.
> 
> Okay, now a mini announcement. I can't stretch this plot line to 30 chapters like 'Level Up' (the only reason it was so long was because the first 12 chapters were only 300 words instead of 3000 lol). So this book will probably be half the length. And then there will be a short third book (Respawn) to tell you all about their happy endings. All the characters. It's gonna be even shorter than this and probably won't be an angst fic. Unless I come up with an idea before I get to it.


	8. tea spilled

Once they all gathered in Allura's basement, all eyes were on Keith.

Keith was looking down, "You already heard a lot of it from Lance..."

Shiro frowned, "I want to hear it from you."

Allura sighed, "Just start where you want."

Keith ran his hands down his face, refusing to look up, "I was already drinking when I moved to Linden. I got moved to so many different homes because I was what they called a discipline case, I was always getting in trouble. Getting caught with alcohol under my bed, getting into fights, sneaking out, ditching school, the list goes on. When I got to Linden, I met Carter at a party. I was already drunk and we ended up hooking up in a bedroom, afterward he lit a joint and asked if I wanted to hit it with him. I said yes, but I didn't know it was laced with cocaine. It was one hell of a high. I felt like I was on the top of the world. He asked me if I wanted to go to this hang out with him and his friends. I went. It was an abandoned building. Apparently, they had a hobby of breaking into old buildings and getting high. After about a week me and Carson started dating. We didn't put a label on it but it was clear to everyone that we were together. I was pretty much always drunk or high, even at school. I was bringing vodka in water bottles, doing lines in the bathroom. I even came to school on acid once. That's why I didn't realize what we were doing to Cyrin and Millie was wrong. They were two kids that were in choir and marching band, I don't know why they hated them so much, why they took every chance they found to torture them. But I took part in that torture. Carter practically had me brainwashed because I was too intoxicated to think for myself. Whenever I would start to question if we were going too far with the bullying, Carter would get me to start drinking or smoking something before sweet talking me and telling me it was just everyone joking around, that we were all having fun. It worked. He was able to manipulate me into thinking it was fine every time by getting me fucked up as he filled my head with lies. And it only got worse from there," Keith rubbed his eyes, having started to tear up a bit, "It got so much worse..." his voice cracked.

Lance sat closer to him and pulled him into a hug, "Take your time..."

Keith hugged Lance back, taking a few deep breaths before letting go and just leaning against him, "I started to realize what Carson was doing to me. So I got sober for one night. I was at Seamus's, going through withdraw. He told me that was what Carson did, he would date the most vulnerable people he could find and manipulate them. He got off on it, having control over someone like that. So I tried to get sober so I could think for myself again. But I was hooked. I ended up doing acid the next afternoon. Carson came over while I was tripping. I tried to confront him, but he told me Seamus was a liar. He said we should have a drink and talk it over. My dumbass fell for it. I let him get me crossfaded, like he always did when he was going to manipulate me."

"What is crossfaded?" Allura asked.

"It's when you take drugs and do alcohol at the same time and they mix together in a bad way. When you get crossfaded you can barely think straight and you get sick. That's why Carson would get me like that. He would act all nice and rub my back when I threw up. And he would slip the lies in there with all the nice things. I believed all of it. And he kept me under his control like that for two months. I never realized how horrible the things we were saying to Cyrin and Millie were. It wasn't until Seamus and Carson started to beat Cyrin up. The first few times they got me to hold Millie back from helping him. But I slowly started to realize it was wrong. So I started to ditch school so I wouldn't be around when they beat up Cyrin. I tried to get myself sober. The night Carson came to see why I hadn't been coming to school I had had a couple of drinks, and so had he. I called him out again, and this time I wasn't going to let him trick me into drinking more or getting high. So he couldn't get me crossfaded and his manipulation didn't work. But I was a bit drunk. We got into a fight over everything we had been doing to Cyrin and Millie. I threw an empty whiskey bottle at him but missed. Then he tried to hit me, but I dodged it. That's when my foster mom came home. She knew about all the bad stuff I was doing but she didn't care, she was only in it for the check the government gave her to take care of me. But she hated Carson, so she kicked him out. I continued to ditch school as much as I could, when I did go to school I avoided Carson and the others at all costs. And then one day we got called out of class for an assembly. They announced that Cyrin had killed himself. After the assembly, I heard people saying he had overdosed on a mixture of every medication in his house. He didn't want there to be the slightest chance of him surviving, he took like fifty pills."

"That's horrible..." Pidge mumbled.

Keith nodded, "I went to Millie after the assembly and apologized, I was a tiny bit drunk so my words were slurring and it was hard to speak. I told her there was no excuse for what I did, I also told her how Carson had been manipulating me. And she hugged me. She's the most forgiving person I've ever met. She cried and I kept hugging her. I knew comforting her wouldn't make up for all the hell we put her through but I figured it was a good start. It turns out she had started cutting herself because of the bullying. We just completely destroyed both of them. The next day the police came to school to question me, Cleo, Carson, and Seamus. They started with Carson and ended with me. Cyrin's parents were there. To start I told them I was a little high and that I was trying to get clean. They thanked me for my honesty. Then I admitted to everything we did to Millie and Cyrin. Then I told them how Carson kept me under his control and how I got out when I finally saw how bad it was getting. I was the only one who told the truth, the others denied everything. In the end, Cyrin's parents sued Cleo, Carson, and Seamus for causing his death. They also sued the school for not doing enough to prevent it. They didn't include me. But the school did expel me and I got moved to a group home for addicts. That's where I got clean. I haven't gone near drugs or alcohol since."

"Those three are the ones harassing you now, aren't they?" Shiro asked.

Keith nodded, "Yes. They're pissed they got sent to Juvy and I only got expelled. They say I'm to blame too and now it's my time to pay the price."

"Pay the price? What does that mean?" Lance asked.

Keith shrugged, "It was just on a card I found in my locker before lunch today. The card was in a bag full of pills... They broke into my locker and left it."

"Why didn't you say anything," Lance asked, "We need to tell Detective Anderson. You could be in danger."

"I didn't want you guys to find out what I did. I knew if I told you some of it I would have to tell you all of it," Keith put his face in his hands.

Pidge frowned, "Keith, what happened wasn't your fault. You were being manipulated, controlled, and abused. You didn't know what you were doing. If you knew, you would have never taken part in it. We all know you're a good person. If Millie could forgive you, then you should forgive yourself."

Keith kept his face hidden behind his hands, "It doesn't matter if I knew or not. I helped torture a boy to the point he took his own life. I did that, knowingly or not. I did it."

Lance wrapped his arms around Keith and pulled him close, "What you did in the past doesn't matter to me, all that matters is who you are now. Now, you are one of the kindest people I know. The kind of person who would go to the end of the Earth to prevent someone from committing suicide... Even if that meant keeping secrets and telling the occasional lie..."

Keith uncovered his face to see everyone nodding in agreement.

"It's a fact that you aren't yourself when you're intoxicated, that it pulls out the worst in people. You weren't yourself," Hunk said, "And on top of the intoxication, Carson was controlling you. You didn't kill Cyrin. It wasn't your fault."

Keith bit his lip, trying to keep himself from crying, "I know I was being controlled, I know it wasn't my fault. But I still did horrible things that cost Cyrin his life, and I have to carry that with me for the rest of my life."

Lance kissed Keith's cheek, "You don't have to carry it alone. You always support me, let me support you for a change."

Keith smiled at him, "I don't deserve you," he looked at the others, "Any of you."

Shiro reached over to hold his hand, "You may not see your worth, but we do."

Lance nodded, "You deserve the world."

Keith hugged Lance close, hiding his face in Lance's shirt, "I love you."

Lance smiled, rubbing his back, "I love you too."

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

Once home, Keith and Lance cuddled in bed together, holding each other close.

Keith pulled Lance closer, "I was so scared you'd hate me after you found out..."

Lance kissed him softly, "I could never hate you. Never. Besides, what happened wasn't your fault. Don't forget that."

Keith nodded, "I know..."

"And tomorrow we're going to the police station to tell Anderson," Lance said, "Who knows what those three have planned. We could all be in danger."

Keith frowned, "I'm sorry I got you pulled into all this."

Lance leaned up on his elbow and looked Keith in the eye, "Whatever we do, we do together. If you're having to go through this, I'm damn sure staying by your side."

Keith rubbed Lance's arm, "I don't want you to have to go through this again."

"I don't care about me right now. I care about you and making sure you don't end up in the same situation I was. I had to go through all that alone and in the end, I was nearly murdered. I'm not letting that happen to you."

Keith sighed, "It's not like that this time. This time we know who is doing it, all of you know about it, and I'm positive they don't want to kill me. They just want to watch me suffer. That's why they tagged you all to that article. They were trying to turn you against me."

Lance frowned, "The only reason we all know about it is  _because_  of the article. You would have never told us if we hadn't read the article and figured most of it out ourselves. You were keeping it secret just like I was and look where that got me."

"Let's just stop talking about it for now, it's getting you all upset," Keith reached up and caressed Lance's cheek, "Just lay back down, we'll talk to Anderson about it all tomorrow."

"You're the reason I'm upset,  _cabeza estupida_ ," Lance flicked Keith's forehead.

Keith chuckled and pulled Lance down to lay on his chest, "Just lay with me."

Lance looked up at him with a smirk, "I know something more fun we can do in this bed."

Keith raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?"

Lance nodded, sitting up again, "Way more fun."

Keith grabbed Lance and made him lay down again, but this time he got on top of him, "I'm up for a little fun"

Lance smiled, pulling Keith into a passionate kiss.

Keith chuckled into the kiss, pulling the blanket over them.

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

The next day, Keith woke up quite a bit before Lance. But Keith stayed in bed, holding Lance close. He stayed like that until Lance finally woke up.

Lance nuzzled into Keith's chest before his eyes fluttered open and he looked at him, "Were you watching me sleep?"

Keith chuckled, "Maybe. I had a beautiful view."

Lance smiled and leaned up to kiss him, "You dork."

Keith booped Lance's nose, "You adorable ray of sunshine."

Lance sat up with a smile, "I'm hungry."

Keith sat up too, wrapping his arms around Lance's waist, "It's my turn to cook, what do you want?"

Lance thought for a moment, "I don't know... Surprise me."

Keith kissed Lance's shoulder, "Why don't you stay here. We'll have breakfast in bed."

Lance turned to smile at him, "Sounds perfect."

Keith kissed him again before getting out of bed and leaving the room.

Lance grabbed his phone before laying back down, opening up a chat with Pidge.

** 10:09 am **

**leggylance:**  hey

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _what's up?_

**leggylance:**  keith is making me breakfast in bed

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _you're just waking up?_

**leggylance:**  you are in no place to judge me on sleep shedules

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _fair enough_

**leggylance:**  me and keith were up late last night ;)

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _i don't want to know_

**leggylance:**  don't be so prudish. like you and hunk never did it

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _we didn't actually_

**leggylance:**  wait seriously??

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _yeah, i would've told you if I lost my virginity. i was the first person you called when you did it with Zack for the first time_

**leggylance:**  we don't speak of him anymore. why didn't you guys never do it? you've been together longer than me and keith and we've done it loads of times

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _okay we only got together a week before you guys. but idk why we didn't. there were times we almost did but it just felt wrong. i just wasn't into it. don't get me wrong, it's not that i wasn't into him. i just wasn't into the concept of sex. i'm still not. i don't get why people find it so appealing_

**leggylance:**  because it feels fucking amazing lmao

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _idk it just isn't for me_

**leggylance:**  maybe you're asexual

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _i don't have any problems in relationships, it's just sex that i hit a wall with_

**leggylance:**  you can be heteroromantic and asexual. or whateverromantic. capable of romantic relationships, just not sexual ones

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _idk maybe. why are you so good with sexual awakenings? you were so good at helping Hunk and Allura figure out they're pan_

**leggylance:**  idk. oh btw i've been texting matt. he is 100% homo. but he doesn't want your parents to know yet. oh and he's a total bottom

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _you are a sexual orientation guru_

**leggylance:**  lol i gtg keith just came back with breakfast

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _okay, i'm in class anyway_

**leggylance:**  haha sucks to be a junior :P

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _suck my dick_

Lance set his phone as Keith sat on the bed with two plates of eggs and bacon, "I put maple syrup on your eggs, you weirdo."

Lance laughed as he took his plate, "It's really good! You should try it this time."

"I'm never trying that atrocity," Keith joked.

Lance shrugged and took a bite of his syrup soaked scrambled eggs, "Your loss."

They ate in silence after that, neither speaking until Keith took Lance's plate and stood up.

"So we're going to see Anderson today?" Lance asked.

Keith sighed, "Yes... As much as I hate to, I did promise you."

Lance stood up from the bed, "Your life could be in danger, we have to tell the police before we end up in the Anna situation all over again."

"So you've said. I get it," Keith walked out of the room, towards the kitchen, Lance following, "We'll go right after I take a shower."

Lance nodded, "Okay, get going then," he turned around and went back to the bedroom.

Keith sighed and put their plates in the dishwasher before getting in the shower.

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

Lance and Keith walked into the police station together, but before they could get to Anderson's desk Keith got a text

 **mortemsirenis:**  i sure hope you aren't planning on telling them about us

Lance looked over Keith's shoulder to read the text, "Don't let them intimidate you. All the people you care about already know what happened, they can't sabotage your life like they tried before. And the police can protect you from any physical threats."

Keith nodded, "Right, you're right," he took a deep breath and started to walk again.

Lance held his hand as they made their way.

Anderson looked up from his files, "Ah, you're here. What's up, boys?"

They both sat down, "Um, we know who has been harassing me," Keith said.

"I assume that means there's been more contact?"

Keith nodded, "They started texting me, and tagged all my friends in an article on twitter."

"What article," Anderson asked.

Lance handed Anderson his phone, "This one."

Anderson skimmed over the article, "What does this have to do with you?"

Keith hesitated, "I'm the fourth, unnamed kid. And those other three are the ones harassing me. They're upset they got sent to Juvy and I only got expelled. They say Cyrin's death was my fault too and I have to pay the price."

"So it has escalated to threats..." Anderson sighed and started typing something into his computer, "I'm putting a bolo out on these three, it's safe to assume they're in the area."

Lance nodded, "They sent Keith as we were walking in, they knew we were here."

"They've been watching me," Keith said, "They hacked into the school's system and got my class schedule and locker number. They broke into my locker and left a bag of pills with a card, I panicked and threw it away."

Anderson nodded, "Well, they've been very careful about DNA evidence so far so I doubt there was any on that bag either. But since they made these accounts to text you and send that tweet, we may be able to track down an IP address. I'll have Williams look into that when he gets back," He wrote down the username so Adam would be able to search it later.

"We're afraid they might try to harm Keith physically," Lance said, "They tried to sabotage his relationships with that tweet, but it didn't work. Who knows what they'll try next."

"Well, we can have someone tail him for his protection." Anderson said, "You won't even notice they're there, and neither will these three."

Keith nodded, "Okay, but what if they try to hurt my friends? When Anna was harassing Lance she threatened the rest of us to make him suffer. What if they do the same thing?"

"Then we'll have protective detail on all of them," Anderson put all their names in his computer to request protective detail, "Is there anything else?"

Keith shook his head, "No, that's all."

"Alright, then let me introduce you to the officers who will be doing protective detail for each of you," Anderson stood up and the two followed.

After being introduced to the officers, they went left and went out to eat lunch. Both feeling way safer than before.


	9. new trust, old stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short and boring. I apologize in advance. But I'm thinking of cutting my chapters in half.

** May 11 **

** 7:21 am **

**_kmskeith:_ ** _you ready for your first day of academy?_

**shirogone:**  yeah. I'm going to be meeting the officer who's doing my security detail while I'm there

**_kmskeith:_ ** _they didn't start last night?_

**shirogone:**  they did. but the cops who watch us at night are different and change every night. the one watching us during the day will be the same every day. and I'm meeting them at the academy when they switch out.

**_kmskeith:_ ** _ohh okay. didn't realize that._

**shirogone:**  i'm leaving in 15 minutes

 ** _kmskeith:_** _good luck_ ⋆  _don't forget grad rehearsal tonight_

 **shirogone:**  thanks, i'll be there

Shiro walked into the police academy, ready for his first day.

Then someone walked in behind him, "Um, Shiro?"

Shiro turned around, "Adam? What are you doing here?"

Adam fidgeted a bit, "Well, I've been assigned as your security detail. I'll be trailing you today."

"Oh, okay," Shiro nodded, "So you just sorta follow me around all day, every day?"

Adam nodded, "Pretty much, just until the three suspects are in custody. I don't think it will be long. With the evidence we have, we should be able to at least charge Cleo right away. The accounts IP address is registered to her. But the boys may go free until we gather evidence or get a confession. So until all three are charged, I'll be doing your security. Detective Anderson is afraid that after we take them in for questioning if the boys get out, they might get mad and attempt to retaliate. So I'm here to keep you safe. Not that you can't take care of yourself. You look very.. capable. We just have security on Keith and all his friends until this is over."

"Well, I'm not that worried about myself," Shiro shrugged, "I'm worried about Keith and Lance. Keith is the main target and if Lance was attacked again... None of us think he'd recover."

Adam sighed, "Well, out of all six of you, you're the third most likely to get attacked. Obviously, Keith is first since these three are harassing him specifically. And if they were to attack those close to him, they would either go after his best friend or his boyfriend. Boyfriend would hurt most so Lance is second. You're Keith's best friend so that puts you at number three."

"You've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"

Adam blushed a bit, "It's my job. In order to try to anticipate their next moves and protect you all, we have to get into their heads. I'm pretty good at profiling. And I've been studying Lance's case for the past few months as part of my training. I read all the reports, watched the recordings of the confessions and witness statements, everything. I get why you guys don't think Lance would recover another attack. He looked pretty traumatized in his statement recording."

Shiro nodded, "He was traumatized. He's been diagnosed with PTSD and still has major issues. He had a really rough panic attack the other day, and one a couple of days before that. And Keith told me he's getting bad nightmares again. I didn't really know him that well when it all went down, we had just met. So I wasn't really much of a target when she threatened to hurt his friends. I was included in the inital threat when she shared everyone's locations. But when she would choose a specific person for her penalties for each fucked up challenge, I was never picked. She would've killed me along with everyone else though, she was going to kill everyone who knew about her. But since I wasn't really involved, I didn't have to give a recorded witness statement or testify at the trials. Just a quick statement the night it all went down, me and Allura were the ones who explained to the police what had been going on. Pidge and Lance were really shaken up after being kidnapped and nearly murdered, so they obviously didn't cover everything. Me and Lura filled in the blanks."

"Would you mind telling me more about it later on? I've really been wanting to talk to someone who was there to learn more, but I didn't want to bother Lance and Keith with it."

Shiro shrugged, "Sure, why not. I may not have been majorly involved but I know everything that happened. Keith confided in me about the things I wasn't there for, he needed someone to talk to about it all. None of knew what was going on for Lance until that night that Anna kidnapped him. He had told us all that afternoon. That's why she went batshit crazy. He broke the rules of her game, he told us about her. That ruined her initial plan of torturing him until he killed himself then deleting her account so it only looked like some senseless tragedy. When he told us about her, she would have had to kill all of us to keep her part in it a secret. Apparently, she was going to pin all the murders on Mike. He's the reason Lance is alive. Her last challenge nearly broke him, he was going to kill himself. But Mike stole her phone and ended the challenge."

"Wow, not all of that was in the records. Was that the challenge where she had him lock himself in his room for a week?" Adam was really invested in the case.

Shiro nodded, "Yeah, that's the one that fucked him up most. He can't be alone without going into a panic attack. I'll gladly fill in more blanks after I'm done with the academy. Maybe over lunch? You have to stay with me all day anyway. Might as well hang out instead of just watching me from a distance."

Adam smiled, "Yeah, that sounds awesome. You should get in there now, they're about to get started. I'll be waiting right outside the door. You're safe in there, plenty of cops around. I'd just be a distraction."

"Okay, well, I'll see you in a couple hours then." Shiro hesitated before turning around and walking into the training room.

Adam watched him go, sitting down on a bench by the door.  
  


**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

**mortemsirenis:** i've been doing some reading on anna. apparently she transferred to your school after pushing some girl at her old school to suicide. sounds a bit like us, doesn't it?

**_kmskeith:_ ** _i'm done being afraid of you. the police are looking for you. they have enough evidence to charge you with harassment. and i know this is cleo for a fact now, they checked the ip address. and i'm sure they'll find evidence to charge the boys too._

**mortemsirenis:**  they don't have anything against the boys. and if you think you'll get a confession out of us, you're not. you'll be sorry for what you've done. even if you get me, the boys will make you pay for it.

**_kmskeith:_ ** _i told you, i'm not afraid of you_

**mortemsirenis:**  you should be

Keith put his phone down with a groan, putting his face in his hands as he sat down on his bed.

Lance leaned against their bedroom doorframe, looking at Keith, "They're texting you again, aren't they?"

Keith sighed before nodding, "Yep... Cleo says even if we get her, Seamus and Carson will make me pay for it."

Lance walked to sit down next to him, "Hey, it's going to be okay. There are two officers right outside our apartment right now. You'll be safe. We'll all be safe."

Keith nodded, "I know, I know..." he looked at Lance, "Are you okay? I'm sure this must be pretty terrifying for you."

Lance looked down, "I'm not going to lie to you, I am scared. But like I said, we have police protection. We didn't have that last time. The odds of one of us getting hurt again are way down. But then I keep thinking about the fact if they do try to go after someone close to you like Anna did, it's most likely going to be me or Shiro. Or both, who knows. But we have protection... We're safe." e sounded like he was still trying to convince himself.

Keith put his arm around Lance's waist, "You're right. We have protection, we're safe. We have nothing to worry about. I know it must be hard to reassure yourself of that after what happened to us, mostly to you. But no one is going to run me off the road if I have a police tail. No one is going to kidnap Pidge in her yard. No one is going to try to.. kill you. None of that is going to happen again. I promise. They can't get to us. Anderson ensured it. We are safe." He emphasized every word of the last sentence.

Lance smiled at him, "I know. It's just my PTSD getting the best of me. I know we'll be okay. I just have to push those thoughts out of my head."

Keith smiled and kissed his forehead, "You're so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. Now, I have to get to work. Hunk and Allura are coming to watch you. They're already on their way, will you be okay until they get here?"

Lance frowned, "I hate when you phrase it like that. Like I'm a  _niño pequeño_  who needs a babysitter."

Keith sighed, "That's what it is though. It's a hard truth, but it's just that. The truth. Need I remind you what happened when Pidge didn't show up?"

Lance crossed his arms, "That was different, I was worried something bad happened to her.  _Mi pánico estaba justificado_."

"Valid point. But let's be real, you would've been freaking out even if you weren't worried about her. You know that. You just won't admit it. We all know you can't be left alone. We all understand why. They're not coming here to babysit you. They're coming here to keep you company and to make sure you don't have another panic attack. We all just want to help protect you, to help you get better."

Lance looked down, " _Lo sé_... I just hate when you phrase it like that."

Keith nodded, "Okay. Next time I'll just say they're coming to hang out. Is that better?"

Lance nodded, "Yeah."

Keith grabbed Lance's chin and pulled him into a kiss, "Don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad."

Keith sighed, "I know you're upset, you always talk in Spanish when you're upset. That's part of why I worked so hard to learn Spanish, so I could help you work through whatever is making you upset. It's hard to help when I don't understand what you're saying."

Lance still frowned, "I'm not mad at you. Just upset in general."

Keith nodded, "Okay. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

Lance smiled a bit, "Can you get me a bowl of ice cream while I pick something to watch? Then you have to leave for work, I don't want you to be late."

Keith smiled and kissed him, "Anything for you."

**︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵  
**

"When Hunk called me to tell me Anna had gotten them, I was already awake. I was sitting by my front door with a baseball bat. You can never be too safe."

Adam nodded, listening to every word Shiro said. They were talking about the Anna case while eating lunch at the café where Lance worked. They had been talking for an hour and continued talking for twenty minutes more.

"Wow, this is so interesting," Adam said, "Obviously, it's tragic and I feel bad for your friend. But it's still  _really_  interesting."

Shiro chuckled, "You watched a lot of true crime as a kid, didn't you?"

Adam bluushed a bit, "That obvious, huh?"

Shiro shrugged, "Just a bit, but you're a cop so interest in crimes is to be expected."

"What about you?" Adam asked, "Why did you want to become a cop?"

Shiro sighed, "It's just with everything that happened before, everything that's happening now... We're all lucky to be alive. And if things go bad now-"

Adam cut him off, "They won't go bad." He was then silent so Shiro could continue.

Shiro smiled at him, "I see how badly Lance was affected, how coming so close to death haunts him to this day. And I remember the day he finally told us what was happening. We didn't call the cops because we didn't believe they'd take it seriously. We just all went home and hoped for the best, but we got the worst. I don't want that to happen to anyone else. We had to learn the hard way going to the cops was the best option. If Lance went to the cops when it all started like Keith did with this, then none of those horrible things would have happened to him. I want to help change things. I want kids in situations like that to feel that if they go to the police they  _will_  be protected no matter what. I don't want any more kids to go through what Lance had to go through. He was so alone, so terrified of what would happen if he didn't do what she wanted. And it went on for a whole week. To most people that seems like nothing. But when you're in that situation, it feels like an eternity, like it will never end. Pidge only had to endure it for one night and even she had to go to therapy for a month. She's terrified to go out at night alone, even though she would never admit it. It's just obvious. But who could blame her, the last time she did she was kidnapped in her own yard. I just keep thinking about how different things would have been if the police would've intervened right away. Lance did say he was going to report her to the police, but she scared him by sending that picture of Keith sleeping, proving she was in his bedroom and could kill him if she wanted. That was enough to keep Lance quiet until he was at his breaking point. He told me if that last challenge had lasted even just one day longer he would've done it. He would've killed himself, just like she wanted. If the police knew, it never would've come to that."

Adam looked down, "That's one good reason to become a cop. Sure as hell better than 'I liked true crime documentaries when I was a kid'."

Shiro frowned, "Well, what drew you to wanting to work on cases like ours?"

Adam shrugged, "Well, Detective Anderson is my supervisor. And when I was only a week into me being a real cop, I answered a call for Anderson. It was Keith, he was reporting some prank that had been played on them. You could hear Lance freaking out in the background and some girl with an accent, probably Allura, trying to calm him down. After that I got curious. I looked into the Anna case. And I guess I thought something along the same line you did. That I didn't want anyone to go through something like that again. That's why I'm shadowing Anderson whenever he looks into pranks, now looking into these real threats. And that's why I volunteered to be one of the protective details. I wanted to help prevent what happened in August from happening again."

Shiro smiled at him, "That's as good of a reason as any."

Adam smiled back, "Yeah, it is... So, Shiro... Don't you have grad rehearsal tonight?"

Shiro groaned, "Yes, unfortunately. I should probably get home so I can get ready in time."

"Well, obviously, I'll be coming with you."

And with that, the two left, not even aware of the bond they were forming.


	10. goners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was rushed but it's not filler this time! A lot happens actually. Three major events. Well, two events and one reveal. But all still major.

Shiro walked out of his condo, seeing Adam in a car outside. It was a police-issued car for undercover operations. Shiro walked up to the car and knocked on the window.

Adam looked up from the coffee he had been pouring sugar into before rolling the window down, "I'm supposed to be following you discretely, you know."

Shiro chuckled, "That didn't stop us yesterday. Besides, isn't that solely for my own comfort? Maybe I feel more comfortable being with you instead of being followed."

Adam shrugged, "Fair enough."

"Now, I have to get to work. Wanna give me a ride instead of tailing me?"

Adam smiled at him, "Sure, get in."

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

"Matt!" Pidge yelled as she ran out of the house, jumping into her big brother's arms. He was officially home from college for the summer.

Matt spun her around before putting her down, "Oh wow, you cut your hair!"

"You need to cut your hair," She laughed before grabbing his hand, it being hard with the cast on her arm but she did it anyway, "Come inside, you can get your stuff out of the car later."

Colleen smiled at them, "I'll get it. You two get inside and catch up. Tonight we'll go visit your dad in the hospital. That man just woke up from a coma and all he's worried about is getting to see you two."

Pidge smiled and pulled Matt inside, up to her bedroom. She knew their mom was going to be in and out of his room, bringing his things in, "Okay, what's the big news you said you had to tell me?"

Matt closed the door behind them, "Well, remember that guy I told you about last week? Jake?"

"The coworker you slept with when you got wasted?" Pidge sat down on her bed.

Matt sat down next to her, "Yes, well, he called me last Saturday."

"It's been a whole seven days and you didn't tell me!" She hit him with a pillow, "Asshole! What happened?"

Matt laughed, "Nothing, at first. He said he heard I quit and wanted to apologize. He blamed himself for it. It sorta was his fault, but I didn't want him to feel bad about it. So I told him I quit because I was coming home for the summer, not because of him."

"So, you lied to him?"

"Yes, but it's a good thing I did." Matt leaned back on her bed, "He said he wanted to take me out to lunch and apologize formally and see me one last time before I left. I didn't want to be an asshole, he was just trying to be nice. So I agreed. We went to Cane's. Nothing fancy. We were there for a while and he apologized about a million times. I kept telling him not to worry about it. It was surprisingly not awkward. Well, at first it was. But once we started talking about things other than the party, it was fine. It had been a week since then, it didn't feel like as much as a big deal anymore. Well, it did. But not in the same way. Anyway, we kept talking long after we finished eating. We had never talked outside of work besides the party. It was nice. It turns out we had  _so_ much more in common than we ever would've thought. He's a huge geek, even though you would never guess it looking at him, or talking to him. He's not the brightest guy, I've had to answer many stupid questions. But he's into a lot of nerdy stuff, Star Wars, Lord of The Rings, obscure sci-fi shows no one but me, you, and Hunk have ever heard of. He's a huge horror fan too. We started talking about a couple of horror movies that were coming out and then he asked me if I wanted to go to the movies with him Wednesday night. I said yes. Again. The movie date went well-"

"Did you just call it a date?" Pidge smirked at him.

Matt looked embarrassed, "Yes, I did. Let me finish. I had basically spent the past week and a half thinking about him and that party; then thinking of that lunch at Cane's. After the movie, we were talking outside the theater. I don't know what came over me. A wave of courage I guess. I kissed him."

"Oh my god!" Pidge squeezed her pillow, "Lance told me you figured out your sexual orientation but I was not expecting  _that._ "

Matt nodded, "Yeah. Anyway, he kissed me back. After I pulled away he looked confused. I had told him I was straight before. I told him the real reason I felt so awkward around him at work. Not because I regretted what happened at the party, but because I  _didn't_ regret it. I told him how confused I had been and how I had been thinking about him non-stop. About texting Lance to try to work through everything I was feeling. I told him I figured out that I'm gay. He just smiled before saying  _'was my dick so good it turned you?'_  We laughed at that for a minute before I told him that I really did like him for real. It took talking to him at Cane's that day to figure it out. He kissed me again after I said that. And then he sorta asked me to be his boyfriend, and I said yes. Trinity isn't that far away, we'll still be able to see each other easily during the summer. And we were thinking if things go well that instead of going back to the dorms when school starts back up, maybe I can move in with him. He's graduated already, he got an associates so he only went for two years. But he still has an apartment not that far away from the school."

Pidge hit him with her pillow again, "This happened on Wednesday and you're just telling me now! You asshole."

Matt laughed, "Well, you're all caught up now."

"I can't believe you have a boyfriend. I knew you were gay, saw that coming a mile away. That's why I always teased you about it."

Matt smiled with a blush, "I can't believe it either. It all happened so fast."

Pidge leaned back next to him, "Maybe too fast?"

"No," Matt shook his head, "I don't regret anything. I'm just still processing it, that's all."

"How old is he anyway? If he's already graduated he has to be at least twenty."

Matt nodded, "He's twenty-two. Just three years older than me. It doesn't affect things at all. At least it hasn't yet."

Pidge smiled and held his hand, "I'm so happy for you."

"So, speaking of asshole siblings who don't tell each other stuff until after it happens. Lance told me you and Hunk split on Monday."

Pidge sighed and sat up again, "Yeah, I broke up with him."

"Why?" Matt sat up so he could look at her better.

"Honestly, things between me and him have been... different. The sex topic has come up a few times and it made me  _really_  uncomfortable. Lance thinks I might be asexual. I don't know, maybe I am. The idea of sex just isn't appealing to me."

Matt frowned, "Well, even if you don't want to have sex with him. That doesn't mean you guys had to break up."

Pidge shrugged, "I just think I'm better off single until I figure things out. Besides, he's leaving for college in two months and he's going much further away than you."

Matt nodded, "I get it. You have to put yourself first."

Pidge laid down, "Well, at least you're home now. That's something I can be happy about."

Matt laid down next to her, "You're not happy?"

"How could I be? All my friends are going away. Lance and Keith have decided to move to Trinity. Hunk is moving to Boulder. Allura is moving to fucking Boston. At least I'll still have Shiro. He's staying here. He just started at the police academy."

Matt held her hand, "I was sad when my friends and I went separate ways for college. But it'll be okay. I still talk to them online. And we're all going to the movies next weekend since we're all back in town."

Pidge sighed, "Yeah, I know. It just sucks I'll be stuck at school alone."

"Don't you have any friends in your year?"

Pidge nodded, "A few. More like acquaintances, really. Just the rest of the AV club."

Matt smiled, "There you go. Get to know them better. You won't be alone."

Pidge smiled back, "What would I do without you?"

"Be a total loner, I guess. I'm the one who introduced you to Shiro."

Pidge chuckled, "I would've met him eventually. Keith and Lance were already talking when you introduced us."

Matt shoved her, "Let me feel good about myself."

"You should feel amazing." Pidge then got a text and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She sat up when she read it, "Oh my god..."

Matt sat up, "What? What's wrong?"

"Shiro is missing."

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

**_*lil bit of a rewind here*_ **

Shiro had to clean the entire movie theater by himself that morning before they opened up that afternoon. Some kids had played a prank the day before and left it a disaster. Adam offered to help him, feeling bad just sitting there and watching him clean. But Shiro wouldn't let him so much as lift a finger.

"You should really let me help. It's going to take you forever."

Shiro shook his head, continuing to clean marker off the bathroom mirror, "Nope. My job is to clean up this mess, your job is to watch me. So you do your job and I'll do mine."

Adam sighed, leaning back against the wall, "You're too stubborn," he got a phone call, he checked to see who it was, "It's Anderson. Stay here, I can't take this call in front of you. It might be confidential information."

"Loud and clear."

Adam nodded, leaving the room to answer the call.

Shiro finished up cleaning all the marker. He moved on to take out the trash. He lifted the big, black bag over his shoulder and went out the back door.

Adam finished up his call, "Shiro, good news. They have Cleo in custody but the boys- Shiro?" he looked around the bathroom, "Fuck, please still be inside." He quickly ran to the backdoor, "Shiro!" He ran out just to see a van speeding away, the black trash bag laying on the ground having never been put in the dumpster.

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

**_*back to present time*_ **

Anderson sat in the back room of the movie of the theater that afternoon, Adam standing behind him. They were watching the security footage from that morning. Watching Shiro leave the building and immediately get forced into a van by two boys.

"Sir, I take full responsibility," Adam said, looking down.

Anderson sighed, pausing the footage, "You followed protocol. It's not your fault the kid decided to go outside alone," He stood, "Good news is that you can clearly see Seamus and Carson's faces in the video. We'll have more than enough evidence to charge them with kidnapping once we find them again. And we have a make, model, color, and partial license plate from the van. It shouldn't take long to track them down."

Adam nodded, "I'll work overtime until we find him."

Anderson got a call, he pat Adam's shoulder before answering it, "Anderson. ...What? ....I'm on my way." He hung up and looked at Adam, "They tried to get Lance. He's been sent to the hospital. His injuries aren't serious."

Adam's eyes widened, "Oh my god." They both rushed out of the movie theater.

**︵** **‿** **︵** **‿** **୨** **♡** **୧** **‿** **︵** **‿** **︵**

Lance was sitting on a bed in the ER, a brace on his wrist and a scrape on his cheek, "I had just gotten home. My sister dropped me off. I saw my tail was stuck at the red light right by our parking lot. I was trying to make sure he could see that I was about to go inside. Then one of them came up behind me. They had one hand over my eyes and another over my mouth, then the other grabbed me too. They were dragging me back, probably to their van. But then I heard the officer rush over and push them off of me. I fell, landing on my wrist wrong. I didn't really see much else of what happened. Just the officer pinning one of them to the ground while the other ran to the van and drove off. Everything got blurry after that. I went into a panic attack."

The officer who was questioning Lance nodded, "Okay, that's all we needed to know." She stood up, "Your boyfriend can come back to see you now."

Lance nodded, "Thank you," He watched her leave.

Keith came running back moments later, "Lance!" He immediately pulled him into a hug.

Lance hugged him back with a smile, "I'm okay."

Keith pulled away just enough to look him over, cupping Lance's cheeks, "You're hurt."

"It's just a sprain, Keith. The only reason I'm here is so they could take an X-Ray to make sure it wasn't broken."

Keith sighed and kissed Lance's forehead, "They said you were in the middle of a panic attack when the EMTs showed up, how are you feeling now?"

Lance shrugged, "Still a little shaken up, I guess. And  _exhausted_  from crying so much. But I'll be fine. Don't worry about it."

"How can you possibly tell me not to worry," Keith sat down next to him, putting his arm around Lance's waist, "You were nearly kidnapped today. I promised you I wouldn't let you get hurt."

Lance frowned at him, "Don't you even start. Don't you dare blame yourself. You had to go to work, that's not your fault."

"I should've called off-"

"Stop," Lance kissed him, "I'm  _fine_. Stop worrying. Cleo and Seamus are already in custody. They'll catch up to Carson eventually."

Keith frowned, "You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"Right before they attacked you, they took Shiro. They still haven't found him yet."

Lance looked down, "Oh my god."

Keith pulled Lance into a hug, "They'll find him. Let's just get you home. Okay?"

"Okay," Lance smiled before kissing him, "It's all being okay."

Keith nodded, he was more worked up in this situation than Lance was. But Lance was only able to stay so calm because he was beyond tired.

Lance held Keith's hand and stood up, "It'll all be okay."


	11. end of the line

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all ready for this shit? I lot of stuff happens. This chapter is a clusterfuck. Three weeks go by in this one chapter. But that was necessary to wrap things up smoothly.

Shiro woke up in a closet later that evening. His head was pounding. The last thing he remembered was being dragged into a van then getting the shit beat out of him.

Now he was tied to a chair and there was tape over his mouth. He tried to get out of his restraints, but even his ankles were tied to the chair so he couldn't kick the closet door open.

He was fucked.

And he knew it.

He looked through the crack between the two doors, able to see the room outside. It was a motel room, seemingly empty. But after a moment a boy with dark brown hair came inside, groaning and throwing his keys on one of the two beds.

Then he looked at the closet doors and opened them up, "Look who's awake," he chuckled, "I'm glad Cleo suggested we nab both Lance and you. We were going to go after just him. But he got away and Seamus got caught. It's okay though because I still have you."

Shiro actually felt relieved. Lance was safe. He knew this boy must be Carson, Keith's ex. Then Shiro felt nothing but anger. This was the boy who hurt Keith, manipulated him, controlled him.

Shiro tried to get out of his restraints again but he was bound too tightly with zip ties.

Carson just laughed, "Struggle all you want, you're just going to hurt yourself. Though, I guess that doesn't matter because you're going to die here anyway."

Shiro glared at him.

Carson took the tape off of his mouth, "Got something to say."

"Go to hell. The police are going to find you and you're going to pay for what you did to Keith."

Carson put the tape back over his mouth, "I haven't done anything. Yet." He grabbed a bookend off the table next to the closet, "Time for you to go back to sleep, I have work to do." He hit Shiro over the head with it, knocking him out again before closing the closet doors.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

"I'm going to ask you one more time, boy. Where is your friend hiding?" Anderson clenched his fist

Seamus just laughed, "You're a fool if you think we're going to tell you anything. Carson will carry out what we started. It's not over."

Anderson stood, leaving the interrogation room, he looked at the officer by the door, "Put him back in the cell," He walked back over to his desk, "Williams!"

Adam rushed over, "Did you get anything out of him?"

Anderson sat down, "Nothing. Have you found anything on his phone?"

Adam nodded, "A little. He texted Cleo yesterday saying she'd meet her back at the motel. They never specified which one. I've already started checking with different motels in the area. Some have told me over the phone that Carson isn't staying there. Others told me to call back when I get a warrant, I've sent some squad cars out to those motels to see if the van is there. I know I should've waited for you before making that decision, but I figured time was of the essence."

Anderson nodded, "You made a good call. Is that all you found?"

Adam shook his head, "They were texting about who they were going to attack. Carson said he didn't want to hurt Keith yet. He wanted to start with Shiro and Lance. The others were never mentioned a single time in the text thread. I think they're safe, but Lance and Keith are still major targets."

"Well, we've increased security on their apartment. They should be safe as long as they stay inside."

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Keith paced in the living room. Lance was asleep in their room, he had gone to bed the moment they got home from the hospital three hours ago.

But Keith couldn't even sit still. Shiro was still missing. He wouldn't be able to calm down until he was found.

Lance walked into the living room, "Keith?" He had their big comforter wrapped around him, it dragging on the ground behind him.

Keith smiled at him, "Hey, baby. Are you feeling better?"

Lance shook his head as he sat down on the couch, "I just feel worse."

Keith frowned, sitting next to him, "What's wrong?" He pulled the blanket around Lance tighter, he could tell he was cold.

Lance shrugged, "I just... Before I was too tired to feel anxious, but now I'm not tired anymore.

"Oh, Lancey," Keith wrapped his arms around Lance and pulled him into his chest, "It's going to be okay, I promise. There are six officers outside right now, no one is going to hurt us."

Tears formed in Lance's eyes, " _Lo sé_.... But Shiro is still out there."

Keith kissed the top of his head, "I'm scared too. But they're going to find him. It's going to be okay."

Lance gripped on to Keith's arm with the hand that wasn't in a brace, "I can't stop thinking about what Carson might be doing to him..."

Keith rubbed his back, "How long have you been awake?" If he had been thinking, then he clearly hadn't just woken up.

"About an hour."

Keith sighed, "I should've gone to check on you..."

Lance buried his face into Keith's chest, "Just don't let me go."

"Never."

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

"Sir, we have a lead!" Adam ran up to Anderson's desk.

Anderson looked up from his paperwork, "What is it?"

"We didn't find the van at any of the motels but we did catch it on traffic cams. It's heading towards Lance and Keith's apartment!"

Anderson stood up, "Let's get over there right away, tell their security the suspect could be showing up at any moment."

Adam nodded, pulling out his walkie talkie while following Anderson to his car.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Carson parked across the street from the apartment complex. He could see at least three cop cars in the parking lot. He groaned, turning the engine off, "Fuck, should've known."

He got out of his car and pulled his hood up. He walked across the street and walked past the apartments, going up the hill behind the building. He crossed behind a tree, going behind the apartments. The back door to the building was unguarded. He rushed over to it, trying to open it.

Obviously, it was locked.

But that was no problem for Carson.

He broke into buildings as a hobby. He took his lock picking kit out of his pocket. He had that door open in less than a minute.

He slowly and quietly made his way up the steps. He got to the top floor but didn't go all the way up the stairs. He heard someone talking and listened in.

"Yes, sir, the boys are secure. I'm outside their door right now. No one has come up to the floor except their neighbor. No sign of Carson Carter."

Carson clenched his fist and went a bit further down the stairs, making sure he was completely out of view. He had to come up with a plan.

It took him a few minutes but he got one. He went back upstairs, this time walking all the way up casually. He walked up to one of the doors, before reaching into his pocket, "Fuck, I forgot my key."

The officer looked at him skeptically, "Sir, would you mind turning around."

Carson looked at him, "What's wrong, officer?"

"Take your hood down."

Carson pulled his hand out of his pocket, and with it a small pistol. He quickly pointed it at the officer, "Move and I'll shoot." He turned safety off.

The officer had already been reaching for his own gun, but froze, "You don't want to do this kid. If you turn yourself in you'll only get charged with harassment and kidnapping. If you pull that trigger you're going to get charged with murder."

"I'm going back to prison either way, what's the difference?"

"The death penalty."

Carson chuckled, "They'd never sentence someone my age to death. Nice scare tactic though."

"If you shoot, this place will be flooded with cops in less than a minute."

Carson shrugged, "That's enough time for me to kick down that door and shoot those two idiots."

Then the cop reached for his gun.

And Carson pulled the trigger.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

**_tiny rewind. only a minute._ **

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Keith was still hugging Lance on the couch, rocking him gently as he cried softly.

Lance rubbed his wet eyes, "Do you hear that?"

"What?"

"Talking."

Keith listened closely, "I do hear it..." He let Lance go, "I'll be right back." He walked up to the door, looking through the peephole, seeing Carson out there pulling out a gun.

Keith's eyes widened, "Lance, go to our room."

Lance looked worried, "Who's out there?"

"Lance, just go!"

Lance knew Keith wouldn't yell at him if it wasn't serious, so he ran to the bedroom, leaving the blanket on the couch.

Keith pushed their armchair against the door, struggling to get it over there. Once it was in place, he ran back to the bedroom. As he closed and locked the door, he heard it. The gunshot.

Lance was already curled up in the corner but when the gun went off he let out a small scream and put his hands over his ears, starting to cry heavily and his breathing picked up.

Keith immediately recognized the signs of a panic attack and rushed over, kneeling next to him, "Lance, look at me. It's going to be okay." He put his hands on Lance's cheeks, "He can't get in. The door is locked and barricaded. He can't get in."

Lance nodded slightly, working on controlling his breathing. But then he heard Carson trying to force their front door open. He started sobbing and hyperventilating.

Keith pulled Lance into a hug, "He can't get in. He can't get in." He kept repeating those words, even though he wasn't completely sure if they were true.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

**_*tape recorder rewind sound*_ **

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Anderson quickly pulled into the apartments parking lot, Adam in the car with him. They both got out and walked up to the nearest officer, "Any sign of Carter?"

"No, sir. We-"

Then they heard the gunshot.

Everyone went running inside, Anderson leading the way. It didn't take them long to reach the top floor. They arrived to see the officer dead on the floor and Carson slamming his weight into the door. He had successfully broken the lock but he could only get the chair to move a tiny bit with each shove.

All of the officers pulled out their guns "Freeze! You're surrounded!"

Carson looked over at them and glared. He peaked in the door, realizing he would never be able to move that chair before they shot him.

He stepped away from the door, putting his hands in the air.

One of the officers rushed over, taking his gun before cuffing him. Anderson quickly went to the door, trying to push it open. Adam helped him. The two working together were able to force the door open. Once in, Anderson pushed the chair further out of the way, "Smart kids, barricading the door."

Adam nodded, "Lance! Keith!"

Keith was still hugging and trying to comfort Lance, "Adam?" He looked at the door, "We're in here!"

Anderson ran to their bedroom, trying to open the door, "Let us in, kid."

Keith tried to let Lance go, but Lance clung to him, still in the middle of the panic attack. Keith knew it was no use trying to get away from Lance while he was in this state. "Just kick the door down, Lance won't let me go." He didn't really care about anything but Lance at that moment. He put his hands over Lance's ears so the sound of the door being forced open wouldn't scare him more.

Anderson chuckled, "If you say so," Then he kicked the door in. He quickly made his way over to the two boys, "Is he hurt?" Adam stayed in the doorway.

Keith shook his head, "It's just another panic attack. He'll be okay," Keith looked at Lance, "Lance, look. It's Detective Anderson. We're safe."

Anderson nodded, "We've arrested Carson Carter. He can't hurt you."

Lance looked at him, slowly able to calm his breathing. But he still cried heavily.

Keith smiled at him, "That's it, there we go. You're okay." he ran a hand through Lance's hair.

One of the officers came in the door, "Sir, we found his van across the street. We found a key to a room at Crockett Motel on the dash."

Anderson looked back at them, "Williams, you two head over to the motel. Shirogane is probably there."

Adam nodded, smiling, "On it!" He ran out the door, the officer following.

Anderson looked back at Keith, "You focus on calming him down. Just stay here until I come back for you. There's a body in the hall and I don't want you boys to see that. You've been through enough."

Keith nodded, "It'll probably be a while before I can get him out of this corner anyway. This is the worst one he's had since we moved here. He's usually calmed down by now."

Anderson sighed, "I'll be back as soon as we've wrapped up the scene." He left the room.

Keith looked back at Lance, who was still sobbing and clinging to him, "It's okay, Lancey. We're okay..."

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

When they parked in front of Crockett Motel, Adam immediately rushed up to the right room and unlocked the door, "Shiro! Are you here?!"

He heard a soft groan from the closet and rushed over, opening the doors. There Shiro was, tied to a chair and blood running down the side of his face.

Adam kneeled down a bit, taking the tape off Shiro's mouth, "Are you okay?"

"My head hurts." He was barely awake.

Adam turned to the officer, "Call for an ambulance."

The officer fumbled for his walkie talkie.

"Hurry!" Adam looked back at Shiro, "Just try to stay awake. Can you do that?"

Shiro nodded, "I think so."

Adam smiled at him before pulling out a pocket knife. He quickly cut the zip ties that held Shiro in place.

Shiro fell forward in the chair, Adam dropping the knife and catching him. He helped Shiro over to the bed, laying him down.

"You'll be okay. Just stay awake." Adam put one hand on Shiro's cheek, moving his head to get a better look at the wound on the side of his head before looking at the bruises that covered his body, "My god, what did they do to you?"

"I just remember getting the shit kicked outta me in the van."

Adam started to tear up, "This is all my fault... I should've stayed with you. I should've broken protocol and taken that call with you in the room. I'm such an idiot. Shiro, I'm so sorry."

Shiro smiled at him, putting his hand on Adam's, "I'm the idiot who went outside when you told me to stay put. It's not your fault."

"Just stay awake..."

Ambulance sirens could be heard in the distance.

Shiro couldn't stay awake.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Lance always hated hospitals. But here he was in a hospital waiting room for the second time in a week. First for Pidge. Now for Shiro.

It wasn't just him sitting in the waiting room. Keith was there. Hunk. Matt and Pidge. Even Allura, who they hadn't seen much of in days.

And Adam.

Lance and Adam were the only ones awake. It was 4 am.

"It really wasn't your fault," Lance said.

Adam looked up at him, "I should've stayed with him yesterday. I failed him."

Lance moved Keith's arm off his shoulders and went over to sit next to Adam, "You saved him though. You haven't slept because being here for him was more important."

"You haven't slept either."

"Well, that's because I hate hospitals. I'll never be able to fall asleep in one," Lance paused, "I was in a hospital when I first found out my twin sister died, right after I woke up from a coma. That was also the day I had my first panic attack."

Adam looked at him sadly, "I'm sorry..."

Lance smiled at him, "This isn't about me. This about you and Shiro. You care about him. I don't see any other cops here. Anderson isn't here. But you are. Because he's more than another victim in one of your cases to you. He's so much more than that."

Adam blushed, knowing what Lance was hinting at, "I've known him for less than a week."

Lance shrugged, "When you know, you know. And I know. So does Keith. He saw the way you two looked at each other the day you met. It was significant enough that he told me about it."

"Each other?"

Lance nodded, "Oh yeah, he's into you too."

Adam looked down with a smile, "I thought he was dating Allura..."

"They broke up last week," Lance leaned forward to get a better look at Adam, "Just because he was dating a girl doesn't mean that he's straight. Me and Keith are the only ones who know Shiro is bi. And he'd probably kill me for telling you that."

Adam looked at him, "Why are you telling me then?"

"Because I want you to know you have a chance. More than a chance. Shoot your shot. Maybe give it some time before you do though. He just went through a breakup and he's still in the closet. Give him time. You'll have a chance to get to know him better while you wait for him to be ready."

Shiro's dad walked out, "Lance..."

Lance stood up, Adam too, "Mr Shirogane."

"Please, just Kaito."

Lance nodded, "Is he okay?"

Kaito nodded, "He still hasn't woken up. But they did brain scans. There's no brain damage."

Adam let out a sigh of relief, "Oh thank god."

Kaito looked at him, "You're the deputy who was in charge of his protection, aren't you?"

Adam looked down, "Yes... I am... I take full responsibility for everything that happened."

Kaito walked up to him and put his hand on Adam's shoulder, "He came home and told me all about you the other night. I couldn't get him to talk about anything else no matter how many times I asked him how his first day at the academy went. And Detective Anderson has already spoken to me on your behalf, apologizing for what happened. He told me how you swore not to rest until my son was found." He smiled, "I hold no grudge against you."

Adam looked up at him, "I- Uh- Thank you..."

Kaito nodded at him before looking at Lance, "Tell the others he's going to be fine. They believe he'll wake soon."

Lance nodded, "I will."

Kaito smiled before turning to walk back to Shiro's room.

Lance looked at Adam, "There's more proof he likes you. He wouldn't shut up about you."

Adam looked down with a smile, "I'm glad his dad doesn't hate me."

Lance chuckled, "I said Shiro was in the closet, but I never said his dad doesn't know. He sort of figured it out on his own. It's sort of an unspoken thing between them. He knows Shiro has a crush on you, that's why he said that."

"Lance?" Keith sat up quickly when he woke up to see Lance wasn't in his arms anymore.

Lance smiled and sat down next to him again, "Relax, I was just over there."

Keith smiled and kissed him, "You scared me."

Lance laid his head on Keith's shoulder, "Kaito came out just a minute ago. Shiro's okay. They think he's going to wake up soon."

"That's amazing," Keith smiled as he wrapped his arms Lance, he looked up at Adam, "You're still here?"

"Yeah-"

"He's here because he has a crush on Shiro," Lance giggled.

Adam blushed and looked down.

Keith pinched Lance's cheek, "You butthead, don't just say things like that." Lance just laughed.

Adam smiled at them before sitting down, "You two look so happy with each other. It's cute."

Keith smiled, "We are happy."

Lance nodded, "And you guys will be too."

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Three hours passed before everyone else woke back up. They were all relieved when Lance told them the good news.

It was another hour before Kaito came back to the waiting room.

"He's awake now. You can all go back to see him. Two at a time."

First Keith and Lance went back. Then Matt and Pidge. Then Hunk and Allura. Last was Adam by himself.

Adam slowly walked into the hospital room, seeing Shiro laying in the bed hooked up to an IV with bandages wrapped around his head.

Shiro smiled at him, "Lance told me you stayed."

Adam walked over, "I couldn't leave until I knew you were okay."

"Didn't my dad tell you I was okay hours ago?"

"I wanted to see that with my own eyes."

"Why don't you sit down?"

Adam nodded, sitting down in one of the chairs by the bed, "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, but I think that's just because of the morphine." Shiro chuckled a bit.

Adam smiled, "I'm just glad you're okay. I don't think I would've been able to live with myself if you weren't."

Shiro sighed, reaching over to hold his hand, "It's not your fault."

"It was my job to watch over you, to protect you. But I left you alone."

"You left me in a very safe room. You were only one room away. You told me to stay put. But I didn't. I left. I went outside. That's on me."

Adam just looked down, "I shouldn't have left you alone."

"I should've listened to you."

Adam looked back at him, "Are we just going to keep going back and forth blaming ourselves until one of gives in?"

Shiro chuckled a bit, "Probably. Let's just agree to disagree on who's fault it was. Stop placing blame and move on."

Adam smiled, "Okay, I think I can do that."

"You didn't have to stay waiting for me. But it means a lot to me that you did."

"I did have to, for my own sanity. I was so worried. You just passed out, I tried to shake you awake but nothing worked. It was pretty terrifying. I rode in the ambulance with you because I was freaking out so much." Adam looked down.

Shiro frowned, "Well, I'm okay now... They said I can go home in a couple of days. They want to keep me for observation," He squeezed Adam's hand, "You saved me. Don't forget that. You wouldn't rest until you knew I was okay. You saved me."

Adam smiled a bit, still looking down, "I guess I wasn't really thinking about that... I just feel like I failed you-"

"You didn't."

Adam looked back up, "I did though, it was my job to keep you safe."

"I thought we just agreed to disagree on this subject."

Adam sighed, "I just can't let it go," He looked at Shiro's bruises, "I could've taken that call in front of you and no one would have ever known."

"You followed protocol-"

"I left you alone."

"And you told me to stay in the bathroom, but I didn't listen. If I would've waited for you to get off the phone, we could've taken the trash out together. But I wasn't taking the situation seriously and thought going out alone would be fine."

Adam looked Shiro in the eye again, "Agree to disagree..."

"Agree to disagree."

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Two days passed before Shiro was able to go home. His father was keeping him on bedrest, even though he was fine enough to be up and about.

Another two days passed before their graduation ceremony. Kaito let Shiro go to that.

And three more day passed before. Lance was finally able to go back into the apartment without freaking out. He didn't feel safe there anymore. Keith had the locks fixed the day after the attack but Lance still refused to go inside. Until now. He was moving back in after staying with his parents for the past week.

Keith held Lance's hand as they walked up to their floor in the apartment building together, "It's okay, I promise. I fixed the lock and put extra locks on the door. It's safe here."

Lance was still hesitant. He had panic attacks while trying to go back home after the first few days. But now it was a bit easier. Especially with Keith holding his hand, "O-Okay..." There was still a blood stain on the floor in the hall in front of their door, he squeezed his eyes shut when he saw it.

Keith immediately blocked Lance's view of it, "Lance, look at me. You're okay."

Lance opened his eyes, "Someone died right here with 5 other cops surrounding the place. How can it possibly be safe." His hands were shaking.

Keith held his hands to steady them, "Carson, Cleo, and Seamus are in jail. They can't get to us again. We're safe."

Lance bit his lip, "Okay..."

Keith smiled at him before pulling him to the door, unlocking it before opening it and bringing Lance inside. Once inside he locked the lock that was already there then locked the three other locks he had just had installed.

Keith held Lance's hand as they walked back to the bedroom. That door had been replaced completely, the wood had split when Anderson kicked it in. Keith set Lance's duffle bag in front of the closet before sitting on the bed with Lance, "Are you feeling okay?"

Lance nodded, fidgeting slightly, "Yeah... I think so..."

Keith kissed his cheek before pulling him into his chest, "We can sit here until you feel comfortable again."

Lance buried his face in Keith's shirt, whimpering slightly.

Keith just held him close, " _Mi amor por ti es mayor que las estrellas_."

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

It had now been a week since the attack and the trial began. Keith, Lance, and Shiro all had to go on the stand to testify about what had happened.

Two more weeks passed and they were all sentenced to life in prison for attempted murder, Carson got a double life sentence for the murder he actually committed. Cleo and Seamus may get let out on probation one day, but Carson was never getting out. Ever.

** June 12 **

** 4:59 pm **

**leggylance:**  the trial is over. they were all sentenced to life in prison

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _that's good!_

**leggylance:**  yeah. im just so glad we don't have to keep sitting in the same room as them almost every day.

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _i'm sorry i couldn't go to the last day of the trial with you_

**leggylance:**  don't worry about it! you had your science program shit today. that's more important. how did that go?

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _it went great today! i showed rover to my instructor and she thought it was awesome. rover can now help me with information retrieval so i showed her that_

**leggylance:**  you mean hacking?

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _she doesn't need to know that_

**leggylance:**  lol i'm just glad it's all going well for you

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _yeah it's pretty amazing. and i get to have lunch with dad every day from now on. i like being able to check on him. today was his first day back._

**leggylance:**  i'm sure he'll be fine

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _i know. i just still like being able to check on him_

**leggylance:**  i get it

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _well i've gotta go. me and matt are going to the movies tonight_

**leggylance:**  im almost home anyway. tell matt i said hi and that i don't even have to see him to know that his jeans look gay today

**_katiehatesyou:_ ** _will do_

Lance put his phone away as Shiro pulled up outside their apartments.

Keith smiled at Shiro, "Thanks for driving us."

"No problem. Good luck fixing your motorcycle."

Keith shrugged, "Just waiting on that spare part. Once it's in it'll be good as new." he got out of the car, helping Lance out too. The SUV was a bit off the ground and Lance had fallen out once, being as clumsy as he is.

Lance waved to Shiro once he was out of the car, "Bye."

Shiro waved back, "See you guys later." Once Keith closed the door, he drove off.

Keith walked into the building with Lance, "How are you feeling?"

Lance smiled at him, "Safe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god it's finally over.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's stuck with me this far. You're the real MVPs. But just because the drama is over, doesn't mean the story is. This is a trilogy.
> 
> Time for Respawn.
> 
> This book is just a super long epilogue. It's just their happy endings. It's, of course, mostly klance's ending. But everyone gets their stories wrapped up as well. Even Matt and Jake get their own part.
> 
> Respawn, out now!
> 
> I hope you're excited to reach the end of this story with me.


End file.
